Parents, teachers and caregivers all want the best for each child. One common concern is making sure we’ve done all we can so each child is ready for school. One piece of the school readiness pie is Literacy Knowledge.
Appreciation for books is just one part of literacy knowledge. Some strategies to develop book appreciation in children may include:
- Have books in the child’s environment: house, car, trips to store & grandmas.
- Have books in each learning center: art, block, science, table toys, dramatic play
- Read so the child sees adults valuing reading books.
- Give books for gifts: just because days, birthdays, holidays,
- Take a child to participate in local book fairs.
- Go to books stores – brand new books as well as used book stores.
- Read books during free play time, nap time, circle time, group time, small group time, one-on-one.
- Encourage other adults to read to children: volunteers, grandparents, the cook, the bus driver, siblings. The impact of dads’ involvement with literacy and children’s future literacy and writing is huge. Even reading the instructions of how to put something together is book appreciation and great modeling. (Darling, S. 2004. National Center for Family Literacy. www.ncfl.com)
- Ask prediction questions.
- Ask questions that connect what is in the book to the child’s own life.
- Read a book over and over and over and over….
- Tell the story in the book. A child can tell the story in a book.
In addition to preparing a child for school, one of many benefits is strengthened family relations by appreciating books.
