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Words are powerful. They give our world meaning and help us communicate with those around us.
In order to be able to communicate, we need to embrace literacy and take the time to teach our children early literacy skills, from reading and writing, to speaking and listening.
These skills will then continue to develop and flourish as they grow.
According to National Literacy Trust, which provides resources to help engage and inspire children and improve teaching knowledge and skills to help grow a generation of readers so that no child is left behind, "literacy" is defined as "the ability to read, write, speak, and listen in a way that lets us communicate effectively and make sense of the world."
When we can do so, we can improve the lives of others.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which seeks to build peace through international cooperation in education, the sciences, and culture, says, "literacy empowers and liberates people. Beyond its importance as part of the right to education, literacy improves lives by expanding capabilities, which, in turn, reduces poverty, increases participation in the labor market, and has positive effects on health and sustainable development."
Embracing literacy and helping our children foster the necessary skills to have a positive relationship with reading, writing, speaking, and listening, will give your little ones a big advantage as they continue to grow, develop hobbies and interests, and find their way in this world.
Reading
When I think about literacy, the first thing that comes to mind is reading. This is probably because reading was one of my favorite things to do during my childhood. I loved being read to, and when I was old enough, I loved reading books on my own.
Going to the library to borrow books every week or two was a celebrated outing in our household, and once our twins are old enough to read on their own, that will surely become a tradition for them, too.
Reading is already a huge part of our daily routine, and it's so very interesting watching the love of reading develop and evolve with both of our twins.
They'll be playing and decide they'd rather be reading a book, so they'll go find the one they want from the bookshelf and bring it over to mom or dad to read to them.
When we get to the last page, the common response is, "More! More!"
So, we flip to the beginning and read the story again. Sometimes, that same story gets read eight, nine, 10 times in one sitting.
That may get old and redundant quickly for the one doing the reading, but for the one doing the listening, reading the same book over and over helps them learn through repetition.
Sometimes, that same story gets read eight, nine, 10 times in one sitting...for the one doing the listening, reading the same book over and over helps them learn through repetition.
Hearing the story repeated again and again helps them fully understand several different things, from the meaning of the story, to the message the illustrations convey, to the sound, the rhythm, and, even, the tone of the words as the story is read aloud.
There are so many advantages to reading multiple stories to your multiple children every day. If you're interested, you can read about how to give your twins the Million Word Advantage, here.
We have quite a few books in our house, so we've incorporated a rotation system, so that there are always fresh books available in their main reading areas, and, of course, some of their favorite stories are always easily within reach.
Now that it's mid-November, we've been starting to flow in our favorite Christmas stories, so that we have time to read and enjoy them ahead of the holidays.
Franklin's Christmas Spirit teaches children how they can make a difference in their community.
Another favorite in our household is the classic Golden Book Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Our twins also enjoy the movie, but they also enjoy hearing mom and dad's voice-acting abilities as we try to recreate each character's voice as we read the book together.
One of the ones that gets read the most over the weeks leading up to Christmas is The Night Before Christmas. Barbara Reid's plasticine illustrations are endearing and and sweet, drawing in young readers and holding their attention while we make our way through Clement C. Moore's classic Christmas poem.
When your children are young, it may be difficult to decipher if there are any potential reading problems or challenges present. While every child is different and reaches specific milestones at varying ages (and this is more likely if your twins are born prematurely), It can help to have a better understanding of what typical literacy development looks like.
According to Reading Rockets, a national public media literacy initiative offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help, these are the typical language accomplishments for most children from birth to age three.
Reading Rockets also outlines the general milestones for thoses age three to four, age five, and age six.
Writing
Writing is another important aspect of literacy. One of the biggest things you can do, as a parent or caregiver, to help the little ones in your life become writers is to show them how useful writing is.
You don't have to sit down and write a novel while they watch. It's as easy as showing them the tasks you do on any given day and explaining why they're important. PBS suggests letting your toddlers watch you "make a grocery list, write a thank-you note, text a relative, send an email, or write down a funny thing your child said. Your two-year-old won't be writing letters yet, but when they watch you writing and have access to crayons, paper, and other writing tools, they will begin to explore the world of writing and mark-making at their own pace."
PBS goes on to say that having thick markers, crayons, and paint brushes on-hand are ideal to nurture our littlest ones' writing endeavors, since they're still working on developing the small muscles that help them hold writing tools.
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Crayola 24-Count Box of Crayons (2 Packs)
Perfect for Little Hands
This is a two-pack of Crayola Crayons. Each box contains 24 non-toxic crayons that allow your child to unlock their creativity. The two-pack comes in incredibly handy, since your twins will inevitably want the exact same color at the exact same time.
For the same reason, large paper gives them the room they need to freely explore the page, drawing and making marks, while also further developing the fine motor skills required to help them write when they get older.
You can also help your children develop literacy skills through different visual means, like working with Play-Doh. PBS suggests rolling out the dough into long lines to form it into different shapes, so that you can work with your toddlers to help them practice letter recognition as you work your way through the different letters of the alphabet.
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Play-Doh Bulk 10-Pack Case of Assorted Colors
Shape Your Imagination
This is a 10-pack case of Play-Doh in assorted colors. Each can holds two ounces of non-toxic Play-Doh in different bright colors, allowing your kids to shape, squish, mix, and make what they envision in their imagination.
Speaking
A third component of the literacy puzzle is speaking.
There are so many things parents can do to encourage speech and language development with their small children, beginning right from birth.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, which aims to make effective communication accessible and achievable for all, has some great tips for parents and caregivers to help children learn to understand and use words, categorized from newborns to two years old, from two years old to four years old, and from four years old to six years old.
In the first two years, it's important to look at your babies when they make sounds and to talk back to them, pretend to have a conversation with them, even if it's one-sided, so they can experience the structure of a conversation and hear how it should flow.
Between two and four years of age, repeat what your children say to you to show that you understand what they're saying and then elaborate on the subject to move the conversation forward. It's also helpful to ask them questions that include a choice. For example, hold up two hats and ask them if they want to wear the one with the dinosaur or the one with Snoopy.
Throughout the whole time your children are growing and learning all about language, do your best to teach them about new words.
Between four and six years of age, make an effort to ask your children to give you directions and then act out those directions, so they can see how things play out. For example, have them direct you in how to build the ultimate blanket and pillow fort, and then see how it comes together by doing exactly what they outline in the order they request.
Throughout the whole time your children are growing and learning all about language, do your best to teach them about new words. Support their early literacy experience by describing things in different ways, so they can learn there are other words that can be used for a particular item. Learning about reading and writing before they can actually read and write helps to plants the seeds needed to grow solid roots for success in literacy.
If you're concerned about your little ones' progress with their speech and language skills, talk to their pediatrician or health care provider. They can discuss things with you, assess their milestone achievements thus far, and may refer your child(ren) to a speech-language pathologist if it's warranted.
Listening
Similar to speaking, there are two sides when it comes to listening and literacy.
First, there is you, as parents and caregivers, listening to your children.
Actively listen to their two- or three-word sentences, like, "Go potty," or "Hug kitty," or "Big cookie, please," and reply back to them on those topics, and then make the concerted effort to expand on things to help them further understand how conversations work and flow.
Say things like, "Oh, you have to go potty? We better hurry to the bathroom, so you can sit down on the toilet and go pee."
Or, "You want to hug the kitty cat? That's a very sweet idea. You love that cat, don't you? We have to remember to hug him gently, or he'll run away."
Or, "Haha, you want to eat a big cookie? Me, too! Let's pull out grandma's recipe and bake some fresh chocolate chip cookies together in the kitchen right now!"
Then, there is them, as children, listening to you and learning how to converse. Tell them what's going on in the environment around them.
For example, if their dad goes outside to work on the deck, tell them, "Daddy is going outside to do some work. He is cleaning the windows. Look at how he's cleaning the tall windows using that robot. Wave at Daddy through the window! That made Dad smile."
You can also sit down with your twins and look at pictures together to foster their listening skills. Pull up a photo and ask them who is in the picture. Wait for them to respond, and then once they do, point at the picture and name the people. Much like reading books together, they'll want to review pictures and practice names over and over again.
To take things even further, there's a third angle when it comes to listening and literacy, and that's them, as children, listening to stories to further-enhance their literacy skills.
According to Scholastic, starting around ages six and seven, there are literacy benefits to be had from listening to audio books, which can breathe life and color into your child's reading experience.
They say, "Narrators on tape tend to embellish their storytelling with silly voices and dramatic enhancements. They emphasize reading as a source of pleasure rather than a skill, and make children eager to learn how to read. Beyond their sheer enjoyment of audio books, children also develop a sense of narrative structure and understanding of language. Stories on tape help them to grasp the rich and various ways in which language distills and conveys meaning."
For the love of literacy
Words give our world meaning. They help us communicate with those around us.
To communicate, we need to embrace literacy. It's important to take the time to teach our children the early literacy skills they'll need to form a foundation to grow upon.
From reading and writing, to speaking and listening, these skills will continue to flourish as they grow, giving your little ones a big advantage as they find their way in this world.
How do you celebrate literacy as a family? What do you do to foster the development of early literacy skills in your household? Let us know in the Comments section below.
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