Read and Write

Delight!

 

Children love books. Their early interactions with stories and words direct them to pleasurable life-long reading and writing. You can guide your child from infancy towards the pleasures of oral and written tales with high quality books for young children. Let your child choose. If your child likes hearing it, you will like reading it!  Both Caldecott Award and Honor Books have excellent stories and terrific illustrations and are available at public libraries.

 

Go beyond printed books and create your family story books. Listen to your child's interests and write stories that your child tells you. Have your child draw pictures to illustrate his/her stories. It is meaningful to your child and the books become family treasures.

 

Provide writing materials. They help your child master eye-hand coordination, large arm muscle movement with scribbling, and pincer practice using the thumb and forefinger to guide the pencil. Create a writing space and organize the writing tools in individual containers. Change writing materials often, sharpen pencils, and remove broken crayons. Keep writing open-ended. Yes, scribbling is okay—it leads to letters!

 

Create an area just for writing...

 

Needed materials:

• Paper of all sizes

• Pencils, markers, and crayons

• Large rolls of paper

• Scissors, glue, glitter, and other items (supervise children under four years old)

 

Keep materials in good condition and well-stocked to encourage exploration. 

 

Remember to keep the area safe for younger children that might be curious!