Early Literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read and write. Between birth and five years of age, children develop six essential pre-reading skills that will help them learn to read when they start school. Techniques for developing the skills defined below:

• Vocabulary Is knowing the names of things.
• Letter Knowledge Is learning to name letters, knowing they have sounds and recognizing them everywhere.
• Print Awareness Is noticing print, knowing how to handle a book, and recognizing print everywhere.
• Narrative Skills Is the ability to describe events and to tell stories.
• Phonological AwarenessIs the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words.
• Print Motivation Child's interest in and enjoyment of books.

Definitions of Early Literacy and the six skills are from the Every Child Ready to Read @ your library® project, a joint project of the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children. To find out more about this project, visit Every Child Ready to Read @ your library ®

Select the link appropriate to your child's age to find out what you can do to develop these skills in your children.