Literacy Newsletter #2

“Oral language encompasses both speaking and listening. Oral language skills include learning how spoken words sound, what words and sentences mean, and how to communicate ideas. Nurturing oral language skills provides a strong foundation for learning to read.” – Reading Rockets

Research indicates that young kids with better oral language skills have an easier time learning how to read. Here are some things that parents and caregivers can do at home to promote oral language skills:

1. Talk, Talk, And Talk Some More! – the more you talk to your child, the more you expose them to language and the opportunity to use language.

2. Read Together – through reading together, children are exposed to new vocabulary and learn about sentence structure and how to put words together.

3. Singing Songs – exposes children to new vocabulary and language concepts; choose songs that are repetitive and have simple lyrics.

4. Describe Everything You Do – when going about daily activities, describe what you are doing and why. In doing so, children will understand the purpose of language and how to communicate information.

5. Encourage Your Child to Play With Words – through games and activities (silly rhymes or songs, word association games or coming up with new words that starts with the same sound), children can play and explore language.

6. Expand On What Your Child Says – expand on a topic that your children are discussing. In doing so, you help your children build on their language skills and encourage them to keep talking.

7. Limit Your Child’s Screen Time – too much screen time can be detrimental to language development. Spending time engaging in face-to-face interactions and activities promotes language learning.