During the first months and years of life, children's experiences with language and literacy can begin to form a basis for their later reading success.  The ideal time to begin sharing books with children is during infancy, even with children as young as six weeks.  Research consistently demonstrates that the more children know about language and literacy before they arrive at school, the better equipped they are to succeed in reading. 

    •   Oral language skills and phonological awareness.

    •   Motivation to learn and appreciation for literate forms.

    •   Print awareness and letter knowledge.

Given the opportunity, young children develop vocabulary, other language skills, and basic knowledge about the world around them.  They learn what books are and how they work. They learn about letters and the structure of words. They become enthusiastic about reading and begin to explore being readers and writers. 

As a reading specialist, I am often asked, "What should my child being doing at this age?" or "Do you think my child is ready for school?"  Below is a particular set of accomplishments that the successful learner is likely to exhibit during the preschool years.  This list was taken from Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children (National Academy Press).  It's neither exhaustive nor incontestable, but the list does capture many highlights from decades of research.  The timing of these accomplishments will to some extent depend on maturation and experiential differences among children. 

Birth to Three-Year-Old Accomplishments for the Successful Learner:

    •   Recognizes specific books by cover.

    •   Pretends to read books.

    •   Understands that books are handled in particular ways.

    •   Enters into a book-sharing routine with primary caregivers.

    •   Vocalization play in crib gives way to enjoyment of rhyming language, nonsense word play, etc.

    •   Labels objects in books.

    •   Comments on characters in books.

    •   Looks at a picture in book and realizes it is a symbol for a real object.

    •   Listens to stories.

    •   Requests/commands adult to read or write.

    •   May begin paying attention to specific print, such as letters in names.

    •   Uses increasingly purposeful scribbling.

    •   Occasionally seems to distinguish between drawing and writing.

    •   Produces some letter-like forms and scribbles with some features of English writing.

Three- to Four-Year-Old Accomplishments for the Successful Learner:

    •   Knows that alphabet letters are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named.

    •   Recognizes print in the local environment.

    •   Knows that it is the print that is read in stories.

    •   Understands that different text forms are used for different functions of print (e.g., a list for groceries is different than the list on a menu).

    •   Pays attention to separable and repeating sounds in language (e.g., in Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater: Peter, Eater).

    •   Uses new vocabulary and grammatical constructions in own speech.

    •   Understands and follows oral directions.

    •   Is sensitive to some sequences of events in stories.

    •   Shows an interest in books and reading.

    •   When being read a story, connects information and events to real-life experiences.

    •   Demonstrates understanding of literal meaning of story being told through questions and comments

    •   Displays reading and writing attempts, calling attention to self: "Look at my story."

    •   Can identify about 10 alphabet letters, especially those from own name.

    •   Writes (scribbles) message as part of playful activity.

    •   May begin to attend to beginning or rhyming sounds in prominent words.

Growing up to be a reader depends mostly on the child's knowledge about language and print.  A wide range of experiences with printed and spoken language, from infancy through early childhood, strongly influences a child's future success in reading.  Children need activities they will enjoy and can succeed at, without being pushed uncomfortably beyond their current developmental stage.  Even when children cannot spell, they learn from trying to write.  Even when children cannot yet read, they learn from being read to. 

Enjoy books, words, and conversation each and every day with your children! 

Jana Estes is the reading specialist at Amity Elementary and serves on the state board for Idaho PTA.