For the majority of children, reading is not an easily acquired skill but one which takes work and practice. Research shows that children get ready to read years before they actually start school. Early literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read and write.
Educators have defined six specific pre-reading skills that lay the foundation for learning to read. These are the early literacy skills we seek to incorporate in our storytimes...to help children learn now so that they can become good readers and writers later.
In this video, Worthington Libraries Youth Services Librarian, Debbie Zimmerman briefly explains each of the six early childhood literacy skills, offering examples of each:
- Print Motivation
- Vocabulary
- Narrative Skills
- Print Awareness
- Phonological Awareness
- Letter Knowledge
Debbie Zimmerman is the Youth Services Lead Librarian for Worthington Libraries' Worthington Park Library in Worthington, OH.
