15 Feb What’s Important about Early Literacy?

Here at PGTPL, all of our programs for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers are focused on building early literacy skills. But why are they so important? 

What are the 5 early literacy skills?

Based on the Every Child Ready to Read approach, we emphasize five early literacy skills: Read | Write | Sing | Talk | Play. Our programs and many of our other activities in the Children’s room will reinforce one or more of these skills. 

How do we include these skills?

In the Children’s Room

The Imagination Hub features simple activities that tie into an early literacy or STEM skill. A comic to draw reinforces writing skills and creativity. A search and find I Spy encourages participants to talk about what they see. 

Sunday Fun Day includes a book and a craft activity to take home! We encourage families to read the book together and talk about the story. 

Of course the Toy Table is a great opportunity for kids to play! But whether it’s putting dolls in the dollhouse, running trains along the track, or making dinosaurs jump into a volcano, kids are also using their motor skills and getting ready to write. 

In programs

If you come to one of our Tiny series or Family Storytime programs, you’ll see that we include rhymes, songs, and other activities as well as reading books together. We incorporate all five early literacy skills in each program. 

Why are they important? 

Connecting families 

One of the key goals of Every Child Ready to Read is providing parents and caregivers with ideas and support in building early literacy skills for their children. That’s why we include suggestions for other activities in our Imagination Hub flyers and during library programs! 

Informal learning

Especially during early childhood, kids learn by experiencing and exploring the world. The everyday activities that build early literacy skills can also help create invested learners who view the world with curiosity and wonder. 

More information

Find early literacy tips you can put into action on our Children’s Room at PGTPL Facebook page!