Early Literacy Activities for Families
How to Help Your Child At Home
E3 Blogs
Early Reading for Fun with Young Children
Did you know? There is new research that confirms early reading for fun with young children is linked to many positive outcomes.
Brain-Building: Talking, Interacting, Reading Aloud + Storytelling
What to Do with Babies Talk. Talk. Talk. They need to hear words to help their brains develop. Repeat the sounds they make back to them. Talk about what you are doing as you unload the groceries, cook dinner or go through town. Use books to provide back and forth interactions. Read aloud using a […]
Why Reading Aloud + Storytelling Matters for All Ages
Reading aloud and listening to a story benefits all children at every age. Listening to a story will: •Ignite a ❤️ of reading. •Boost language development in young children. •Build vocabulary and comprehension. •Spark creativity + the imagination. •Develop problem-solving + critical-thinking skills. Research says that reading to a young child will boost their language […]
How Does A Child Become A Reader?
Families can help children build a strong foundation of language skills by turning everyday moments into learning.
Getting Ready for Kindergarten
Here are a few tips to make learning + reading fun for your family.
Toddler Brain Boosters
These activities will help to boost your child’s language development, creativity and build early skills in math and reading.
Brain-Building Tips
Brain-Building Through Play: Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Children
Harvard Center on the Developing Child
An invaluable resource for parents looking for fun activities to do with children of all ages.
Barbara Bush’s Family Reading Tips
Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
Here's a collection of nine ways to get your little ones reading more!
Resources for Families
UVA & Virginia Literacy Partnerships (VLP)
A compiled list of fun activities to do with your kids, categorized by topic of learning interest.
Need a book to read?
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
If you could use some inspiration, check out our list of book suggestions for different age groups. Happy reading!
Brain-Building Activities
- Snuggle up and read aloud.
- Talk. Talk. Talk. Babies need to hear words to help their brains develop.
- Repeat the sounds they make back to them.
- Make animal sounds and connect back to the animal.
- Sing songs.
- Talk about what you are doing as you unload the groceries, cook dinner or go through town.
- Use books to provide back and forth interactions.
- Read aloud using a sing-song voice to grab their attention.
- Help them hold the book, listen to the story, turn pages and chew on the corners (that is ok)!
- Snuggle up and read aloud.
- Let them explore and play.
- Say rhyming words and make up a silly rhyme.
- Take books everywhere you go.
- Give them books to hold, turn pages and look through.
- Look at the book, point to objects you see and name them.
- Ask questions about the book to help them understand what is happening in the story.
- Snuggle up and read aloud.
- Talk to each other and ask questions.
- Tell stories to each other.
- Make story time fun and interesting. Make sounds, noises and sound out words.
- Let them use the pictures in a book to tell their own story.
- Make reading and books part of your everyday life. Put books everywhere.
- Visit the local library or bookstore.
- Model reading by having family reading time. You read while they read.
