PRESCHOOL: 3 to 4 Years

Right now your preschooler is busy learning about letters and sounds, pictures and print. You might notice her playing with language by making nonsense sounds and rhyming words, or scribbling on paper. This is great! She is exploring how language and literacy are used in her world. Now is a good time to increase your child's exposure to language and print. Your don't have to look far from the blinking red light that says "Don't Walk" to the label on a cereal box, letters, language, pictures and print are all around us.

Read aloud with your child for just 15 minutes a day will help her become a better reader. Why? When you read with your child, you are showing her how print "works". She is learning how to hold a book, turn pages, listen carefully and enjoy a story, and she's beginning to understand that print has meaning.

Milestones:
Your preschooler should:

• Enjoy asking a lot of questions and talking about everything.

• Identify labels and signs in his environment.

• Know some letters (such as those in his name) and make some letter sound matches.

• Understand that print carries a message.

• Enjoy listening to and discussing storybooks, especially his favorite ones, over and over again.

We work with this:

• Talk to your child. Show interest in what she is saying. Play listening games that entail verbal clues and directions (for example: I spy with my little eye....).
• Label your child's books, toys and clothes (Jackie's shoes), This will help her identify letters and words, especially her name.
• Read aloud everyday, especially from books that reflect your child's culture, home, identity and language.
• Provide many chances for your child to draw and print using markers, crayons and pencils.
• Keep lots of paper (notepads, index cards, envelope, construction) too!
• Read around your home and community! Help your child read food labels, mail, addresses, messages and notes. Point out signs, labels, and logos in your neighborhood.

Books

When choosing books for your preschooler, look for:

• Simple concepts (letters, numbers, shapes, colors).
• Fun and simple plots.
• Rhythmic and sing-songy language that invites the child to join in.
• Animals or young children as main characters.