Carnegie Carnegie Corner: Expanding horizons one book at a time

A few weeks ago, a young reader came to the library with her father. She picked out a stack of chapter books for herself and a few board books. Upon further discussion, she mentioned that she would be reading the board books to her baby brother. How marvelous that she will be one of his first teachers! Interactions with caring parents, siblings and caregivers give young children opportunities to gain vocabulary and learn new concepts. These interactions help children to be successful readers.

Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) is an initiative developed by the Public Library Association and the American Library Association, which promotes early literacy. Early literacy is what a child learns and knows about reading before they can read and write. ECRR encourages parents and caregivers to use five practices: Read, Sing, Play, Talk and Write.

Read is just what it sounds like – sit and read a book you both enjoy with your child. It is suggested that you strive to read together for 15 to 20 minutes a day. Don’t worry if your child can’t sit still for that long. Read as long as they are willing and enjoying it. You can break it up into several small sessions. The goal is to make reading fun. A bedtime story and snuggle can be a comforting routine at the end of the day.

Sing – Sing songs with your little ones. Singing slows down the language so that they can better hear sounds or phonemes, and syllables in the words. Don’t worry if you can’t carry a tune. They won’t care. Sing songs that you remember from when you were little and make up your own songs.

Play – Playing helps children to develop their imaginations and to put their thoughts into words. These are important skills when you need to tell a story or explain how something happened. Play school, bus driver or grocery store with your child.

Talk – Talk to your child, even babies. Explain what you’re doing. This builds their vocabularies. Children are known for being curious and asking A LOT of questions. This is a great opportunity to talk with them.

Write – In this day and age, much of our writing is done by email and texting, but it is important for children to see us writing by hand. This teaches them that written words stand for spoken language. Encourage them to draw, color and scribble. Write out your grocery list by hand and encourage your child to write out a list, too.

At the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, we have many free resources to help you help your child learn to read for both pleasure and learning. Feel free to come in and browse and borrow from our picture book collection. Not sure what books your child might be interested in, we are happy to help you find something. We offer story times for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and families where we read, sing, craft and dance. Our train table and play kitchen are great places that encourage imaginative play.

Please stop by and say hello. Our staff is excited and ready to help you prepare your child to enjoy a lifetime of reading.

JoLynne Dougherty is the Children’s Programming coordinator at Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall.