Pre-literacy for two-year-old: what’s next?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Preschool teacher here. Keep up the reading to him, as much as you can and whatever he wants. Put some bob books in his hands, but don’t force it, that’s an easy way to turn a child off of books forever. Don’t forget other skills—counting and science (baking soda and vinegar!), fine motor skills and gross motor skills—hand strengthening (playdoh) for future writing success. Ask questions, go for hikes, cook together. People get wrapped up in early reading and forget the other things kids should be working on through exploring their world.

OP here. Yes, we do all that too. We just have a lot of time together!

Talk talk talk about the books you read. Don't do things that distract from the language like pointing at words or talking about letters. The number one predictor of a kid's success when they start school is their vocabulary and the sophistication of their language, and language always has room for growth. There are always more words and ideas.

So, do lots of dramatic play. Read lots of stories, talk about them reenact them. Try out the ideas from them. Read lots of nonfiction and talk about it.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

He’s 2, relax. You are doing great. Just keep doing what you are doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He’s 2, relax. You are doing great. Just keep doing what you are doing.

Oh, good - the parroted “relax” comment. Can’t have a thread on Parenting without it.

[Anonymous]

PP who mentioned Montessori. This lesson is probably too advanced for right now, but great for 4 year olds. Take a small box and fill it with little objects (dollhouse objects, figurines, etc.) that are completely phonetic. Have a set of small labels with the names of the objects and have the child match them. Kids love this and it's a great pre-reading activity.

FROG
CUP
CAT
DOG
etc.

[Anonymous]

Lol you SAHMs are so funny. Literally have nothing going on in your life so you’re obsessed with pushing your kids and making them #1 in early reading.

[Anonymous]

Does he go to preschool? I found that me 2 year-old really blossomed when he started a morning preschool program. He loves spending time with me and we do lots of fun things, but I’m not 2 and he gets socialization by being with other kids who are exploring the world the way that he is. Right now that might not be possible, but even finding one child to have regular play dates with where the parents get out of the way will help. I found that kids will use toys and materials in really creative ways that I would never have thought up. Always being in adult-directed activities is limiting for them, even when those activities are great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol you SAHMs are so funny. Literally have nothing going on in your life so you’re obsessed with pushing your kids and making them #1 in early reading.

Yeah, it’s my boredom that causes me to want the best for my kids. /s

[Anonymous]

Make sure you talk about the story. Talk about how the characters feel, how would they feel? Have then anticipate what might come next in a new story. Image new endings. Ask why questions about characters actions. Why did Frog laugh at Toad? How do you think Toad felt? Why did Toad hide under the covers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 2 yr old knows all his letters and their phonetic sounds. We read to him a lot and follow the words in the books when possible (when the text is under the picture). What am I supposed to do next? Sight words? Blends? We aren’t doing tv/screens yet.

Thank you!

Hope you are also working on his math!

[Anonymous]

OP, there is also a writing progression that is part of literacy. I would complement what you are doing with letters and phonics by encouraging the gross and fine motor skills that lead to writing, and also starting to help him recognize how shapes correspond to letters and parts of letters. Some ideas:

- If you have a chalkboard or white board in his room, occasionally draw a letter on the board and then talk him through how you do it (like W -- down, up, down, up). Let him trace the letter with his finger. Offer to help him draw the letter if you want, but don't push this (his motor skills likely are not there yet, so be very gentle the actual writing -- you don't want to frustrate him by asking him to do something he physically is not ready to do).

- Encourage not only shape recognition, but also shape drawing. Does he draw straight-ish lines? Circle-ish shapes? This will help a lot with writing later. I would also suggest introducing different utensils for art time -- fat crayons and skinny crayons, colored pencils, markers, paint brushes. Providing variety and just letting him experiment will build dexterity and familiarity, as well as hand strength and fine motor skills.

- Also, embrace his tactile senses! We were gifted some sand-paper letter flashcards (it's a glossy flashcard where the letter is a raised sandpaper texture) when our DD was 2. I originally thought she was too young for them, but she loved the tactile feeling of the letters and would instinctively trace them with her finger. As she learned her letters, she would enjoy getting these cards out, saying the name of the letter, and tracing it with her finger. This was great preparation for PK when she started writing letters.

If you want to get organized, you can try to structure these activities around specific letters on a weekly basis. Start with his favorite letters, or with the letters in his name. Don't drill. But you can start on Monday by writing the letter on the chalkboard ("what letter is this? that's right, it's an "A"! What sound does it make? What words start with that sound?"). Then as the week goes one, bring this letter up on walks or during other play. During art time, give him a print out of the letter to trace and decorate. Etc. It's okay if he does well with some letters than others. If he gets bored or doesn't respond to letter prompts, drop it and leave it alone for a while.

None of this is imperative, but if your child is interested and motivated, it can be a wonderful way to structure playtime and to reinforce what he is or will learn in PK. I know people roll their eyes about this, but my DD needed this kind of structure and progress in her play starting at about 2.5. She was curious about words and letters and wanted to learn more. I had to up my game a bit to meet her needs. Ignore the haters -- people feel threatened by this but it's not about getting your child to read earlier. It's about responding to his interests and needs without pushing. He may start to read early or he may not. But no reason to deprive him of pre-literacy skills because other people get stressed about their own child's literacy skills. It's genuinely not a competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol you SAHMs are so funny. Literally have nothing going on in your life so you’re obsessed with pushing your kids and making them #1 in early reading.

Yeah, it’s my boredom that causes me to want the best for my kids. /s

But this isn't a thing that benefits kids in any way. It's a game that parents play for bragging rights.

It's like having the most pinterest bento box or the biggest hair bow. It's fine if that's your thing but don't confuse yourself that you're doing something for your child.