It’s Family Literacy Month

November is Family Literacy Month. Reading books and modeling enjoyment of reading are two minor things that make a huge impact impact in a child’s language and literacy development. Read on to learn more about promoting literacy as part of Family Literacy Month.

My husband and children love to sit and read together. It doesn’t always go this smoothly — sometimes they only sit for a short period of time and other times they are really engaged.

What is Literacy

The term ‘literacy’ previously encompassed solely reading and writing. Years of research and consideration has come to the (obvious) conclusion that this is an antiquated way of thinking about literacy. The concept of ‘literacy’ has been revised to include more than just letter recognition.

In 2018, UNESCO met to discuss global literacy and this quote from their presentation has become a working definition. —

Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. (UNESCO, 2004; 2017).

We now have better documentation that literacy includes more than just decoding words on a page. Essentially, literacy includes communication and understanding around books and other written and illustrated materials.

So, how can we help children gain these skills?

The answer is actually pretty simple — read with them. Reading with children of all ages is the perfect way to help them gain literacy skills. It doesn’t need to complex or complicated either!

Children who have abundant opportunities to interact with language from infancy to early elementary school are more likely to develop into skilled and fluent readers — Shannon Kelley

Reading frequently with children will help them to develop vital language and literacy skills. If you want to promote language and literacy development, read with children and provide lots and lots of opportunities to interact positively with books and quality language models.

Taking children to the library is one great way to promote a child’s interest in books and literacy. At a library, children can interact with books and see others reading. In this picture, my daughter was looking at books in the teen section. Rather than redirect her to age-appropriate books, I let her explore whatever she was drawn to.

Tips for celebrating and promoting literacy every month

1. Go to the library
   Public libraries in the US are free and many cities and towns will have multiple libraries. Most libraries will have a children’s section where the bookshelves and books are on a child’s level. This helps make it a fun and inviting space. Many libraries will have a storytime with a variety of literacy-promoting activities. Here in Boston, the local libraries have this information posted each week.
2. Make reading part of your schedule
   Pick a part of your day and make reading part of your routine. Reading at bedtime is one of the most common ways to incorporate literacy into your schedule but reading at breakfast time is also a great time.
3. Set up a cozy corner
   A cozy nook or corner is my personal favorite place to read. Who wouldn’t want a snuggly spot to read in?!? It doesn’t need to be a permanent fixture in your home but a few pillows and a blanket on the floor with some books sprinkled around is very inviting for children (and adults) of all ages.
4. Give books and request books for gifts
   I give books to all of my children’s friends for their birthdays. My daughter and son love to go to a local bookshop (buy local) or online when we are strapped for time and pick out a book for their friends. We decide which topic that their friend is most interested in and then seek out a book that fits the criteria they created. This helps to add value and importance to books.
5. Model reading
   ‘Monkey see, monkey do’ is the old saying. When our children see us do something this increases the likelihood they will do that same something — they will follow our lead. If they see us playing on our phones they will want to play on our phones. If they see us eating broccoli, they are more likely to want eat broccoli. If they see if reading….. they will be more likely to choose reading.
6. Let them pick
   Kids, and adults, love to be in charge. One way to foster children’s independence is to read books that they choose. Let them pick which books to read, even if you think it isn’t a great choice.
   This may mean reading the same books over and over again. And, while I understand that this is annoying (believe me I do), repetitions actually serve a purpose. Repetitions help children to recognize vocabulary and to remember the narrative of the story.
   If you find yourself reading over and over again, let your child help ‘read’ the story with you. Pause and let them fill in the words.
7. Have children interact with lots of different forms of literacy
   In addition to books, point out and model reading for children across the day.
   - Point out the street signs “The red sign says S-T-O-P and that means ‘stop’”.
   - Point out the words on the cereal box and their favorite snacks. “Look at this box. It says “Cheerios”.
   - Find other signs or words that come of often in your daily life. My children are not fluent readers but they recognize the specific way that the words RED SOX are typically written and they ‘read’ it. When they ‘read it’ I make sure to positively encourage them.

Pointing out words and symbols across your day helps children gain practice with reading. It introduces the concept of reading and children gain practice visually recognizing words in their community.

Here is the takeaway message:

Promoting literacy, communication and understanding around books and other written and illustrated materials, is one of the best ways to help children become joyful and fluent readers. With reading, the earlier the better and make it part of your daily routine. Find ways to encourage excitement around books in creative ways such at going to the library, having a cozy reading time, and model reading for your children.

I hope you enjoyed these fun ideas that promoting literacy and language development!

TLC Speech Therapy is a speech pathology private practice, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in feeding, swallowing, and communication skills in infants, children, teens, and adults.

For more information check out our website at tlcspeechtherapy.com or contact us at hello@tlcspeechtherapy.com

Want to take a deeper dive?

Learn more and check out these resources:

November is National Family Literacy Month - ALSC Blog

NCFL | Blog - November is National Family Literacy Month®

ILA's Blog

Best Practices in Early Childhood Literacy

Toddlers and Reading: Describe but Don't Drill