As a parent of young children, reading before bed has always been a special part of our daily routines. It’s a time to snuggle and connect, and to share special stories. I’ve loved watching my young readers grow, from toddlers who wanted to read their favorite books again and again, to Kindergartners anxious to pick out the sight words they knew, to proficient readers, who take turns reading aloud to me and their siblings.

As much as we love reading, as a busy working mom of four, I often struggle to fit in the suggested thirty minutes of daily reading time. We’ve found many ways to build literacy time into our day. Singing songs, reading environmental print such as cereal boxes at breakfast and signs on the way to school, and playing rhyming games and chants, are all strategies to support literacy development! Did you know that just talking more with your children has been shown to be one of the most important ways to support literacy development?

Developing early literacy skills is about much more than teaching the alphabet, skills such as supporting vocabulary development, experimental writing and print awareness all contribute to supporting those critical emergent literacy or “ready to read” skills to help your child be ready to learn to read when they get to school.

This March is Reading Month, find those extra moments in time to build more literacy practices into your daily routines.

Carrie Shrier
Extension Educator
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor
Michigan State University Extension