For Librarians / Librarians' Resources Children's Services/Children's Book Exhibit Center (CBEC) Vermont Early Literacy Initiative VELI2VELI Round 2 Storytimes
Six Pre-reading Skills Children Can Start Learning from Birth
Print Motivation - an interest and enjoyment of books
Children who enjoy books and being read to will want to learn how to read.
Storytimes highlighting this skill developed by the libraries indicated:
Vocabulary - Knowing the names of things
Research shows that children who have larger vocabularies are better readers. Knowing many words helps children recognize written words and understand what they read. Even infants benefit; by the time children are two years old, they understand 300-500 words. The more words children know, the better able they are to recognize words and understand what they read.
Storytimes highlighting this skill developed by the libraries indicated:
- Bradford Public Library
- South Burlington Community Library
- Hartford Library, Inc.
- Norman Williams Public Library, Woodstock
Print Awareness - noticing print, knowing how to handle a book and knowing how to follow the words on a page
Being familiar with printed language helps children feel comfortable with book and understand that print is useful.
Storytimes highlighting this skill developed by the libraries indicated:
- Whiting Library
- Fairlee Public Library
- Poultney Public Library
- Norman Williams Public Library, Woodstock
Narrative Skills - being able to describe things and events and tell stories
Being able to tell or retell a story helps children understand what they read. Ask open-ended questions about the books you read like, "what do you think will happen next?"
Storytimes highlighting this skill developed by the libraries indicated:
- Brown Public Library, Northfield
- Rockingham Free Public Library
- Essex Free Library
- Barton Public Library
Letter Knowledge - Knowing letters are different from each other, knowing their names and sounds and recognizing letters everywhere
Help children see and feel different shapes and the shapes of letters; help them see that the same letter can look different. Knowing the names and sounds of letters helps children figure out how to say written words.
Storytimes highlighting this skill developed by the libraries indicated:
- Davies Memorial Library, Waterford
- Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston
- Rockingham Free Public Library
Phonological Awareness - Being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words
Say rhymes, sing songs and play word games with children. Being aware of the smaller sounds that make up words helps children sound out written words as they begin to read.
Storytimes highlighting this skill developed by the libraries indicated:
