Parental Resources

Encouraging Reading and Writing at Home

• enjoy listening and discussing storybooks
  
• understand that print carries a message
  
• engage in reading and writing attempts
  
• identify labels and signs in their environment
  
• participate in rhyming games
  
• identify some letters and make some letter-sound matches
  
• use known letters or approximations of letters to represent written language (especially meaningful words like their name and phrases such as “I love you”)

Parents and family members can:

• talk with children, engage them in conversation, give names of things, show interest in what a child says
  
• read and reread stories with predictable texts to children
  
• encourage children to recount experiences and describe ideas and events that are important to them
  
• visit the library regularly
  
• provide opportunities for children to draw and print, using markers, crayons, and pencils

Kindergarten children:

• enjoy being read to and themselves retell simple narrative stories
  
• use descriptive language to explain and explore
  
• recognize letters and letter-sound matches
  
• show familiarity with rhyme
  
• match spoken words with written ones
  
• begin to write letters of the alphabet and some high frequency words
  

Parents and family members can:

• daily read and reread narratives and informational stories to children
  
• encourage children’s attempts at reading and writing
  
• allow children to participate in activities that involve writing and reading (for example, cooking, making lists, writing friendly letters etc.)
  
• play games that involve specific directions (such as “Simon Says”)
  
• have conversations with children during meal times and throughout the day