Live Interactive Chat

Answers to Questions (Transcript)

March 11, 2003

Encouraging Literacy Development in Infants and Toddlers

Marsha Glick
Resource Specialist, STAR NET Region II

See also: Biography and Related Resources

IELmoderator
Greetings, IEL Chat participants. Welcome to our IEL Chat on "Encouraging Literacy Development in Infants and Toddlers." To get started, let me introduce our guest speaker, Marsha Glick, Resource Specialist for STAR NET Region II.

Marsha Glick
Hello everyone! I'm Marsha Glick, and I'm glad to be here talking to you about encouraging literacy in infants and toddlers.

IELmoderator
The procedure for the live Chat session is as follows. Participants can send questions to the Chat guest at any time. When you send your question, please note that it will not be visible to all Chat participants. The IEL Moderator receives the question first and will post it to the whole Chat group. If there's a long queue of questions, the Moderator will notify the questioner that the question was received. Then, at the next break in the discussion, the question will be posted for all to see and for our guest to answer.

Note that there will be a pause after a question is posted while the Chat guest speaker composes a response to the question. So please be patient! During these pauses, the Moderator will post occasional information about the IEL Web site. Because some Chat participants enter the Chat in the middle of the session, some of these messages may be posted more than once.

Questions will be posted in the order they're received, unless there's some obvious reason to group similar questions together. Participants may send follow-up questions. If you do send a follow-up question, please remind the Guest and other participants of the earlier question (by saying something like "In my earlier question about the third-grader's reading difficulty") because it's easy to forget earlier questions in the long list of questions that occur during the Chat session.

If your question is not answered by the time the Chat session ends at 8 pm, the question and its answer will be included in the Chat transcript that will be made available online approximately 3 weeks from today.

Now let's begin our Chat. Ms. Glick, we have a question that we received in advance of the session:

What does it mean to encourage literacy development?

Marsha Glick
Encouraging literacy development means that the young child is provided with opportunities to interact with the adults in their lives. This includes opportunities for young children to engage in play, listen to adults talk and sing to them. Encouraging literacy development also involves the adult responding to the sounds, words, and gestures the infant or toddler makes. In addition, providing a visually rich environment (books, pictures, mobiles) as well as opportunities to interactively play with the adult are the building blocks for the development of language, reading, and writing.

booklover
Hi! My daughter doesn't read enough to her 8-month-old baby, in my opinion. How important is it for her to read to a baby that young? She's a great mom, and he's a happy little guy, but it bothers me that she doesn't read to him more.

Marsha Glick
booklover, the fact that she's a great mom indicates that she is doing pre-literacy interaction through spending time and talking with her child. Try to encourage her to pick one time during the day to read a book to the child, such as before going to sleep.

SandyShine
What is the best way day care providers can promote infant literacy?

Marsha Glick
SandyShine, the best thing to do is provide a time when you are one-on-one with the infant. Introduce the infant to some brightly colored pictures or books. Most important, have a time when there is a sense of touch with the day care provider and the infant.

iris
When reading as a group, how do you keep a 2-year-old's attention without losing the 3-year-old's attention because they are watching the 2-year-old?

Marsha Glick
iris, that is a good question. First, environmentally, keep the 2-year-old as close to you as you can. Then, as you are reading, go between the 2- and 3-year-old and try to keep them involved in the story. For example, ask the 2-year-old to point to a picture in the book or ask the 3-year-old to answer a question about the story.

IELmoderator
The transcripts of the IEL Chat sessions from 2002 are archived on the IEL Web site. Go to the IEL Chat page at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/chat.htm, and scroll down the page to the section called "Past Chat Sessions." For each Chat in that section, you'll see a link for "Chat Transcript." Click on that link to view the transcript for that particular ChatEditor's note: This url has changed: http://illinoisearlylearning.org/askanexpert.htm#pastchat.

Tonight's Chat session is the third of 2003. The first Chat session was on the topic of "Handling Challenging Behaviors in Child Care and at Home: Autism." The transcript of this Chat session is now available on the Chat page at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/Chat/beytien/trans.htm.

The second Chat of 2003 was on the topic of "Handling Challenging Behaviors in Child Care: Aggression and Anger in Young Children." The transcript of this Chat session is currently being prepared and will be available on the Chat page in a week or two.

Note that the Chat transcripts are also available in Spanish. To find these transcripts (Trasuntos de chateo), go to the Spanish Chat page at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/chat-sp.htm Editor's note: This url has changed:http://illinoisearlylearning.org/askanexpert-sp.htm#pastchat.

Daisy
How do we encourage parents to understand that reading to their children is important to enhance vocabulary?

Marsha Glick
Daisy, I am assuming you are in the education field. One way is to provide a lending library of a few books they can borrow from you. Create a parents' day when parents can come in and see you reading to the children. Provide a handout or simple list of books that are readily available to the children. Reciting nursery rhymes and using familiar fairy tales can enhance vocabulary when you use them to discuss the vocabulary within the rhymes or the stories.

IELmoderator
You can find additional resources on "Encouraging Literacy Development in Infants and Toddlers" in the supplement to this Chat session. This supplement is available on the IEL Web site at this URL: http://illinoisearlylearning.org/chat/glick/sup.htm.

winter
What are some of your favorite titles to share with infants and toddlers?

Marsha Glick
winter, there is a whole resource list of these titles available on the main Chat page at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/chat.htm Editor's note: This url has changed: http://illinoisearlylearning.org/askanexpert.htm#pastchat

IELmoderator
As mentioned earlier, Marsha Glick is a Resource Specialist with STAR NET Region II. For more information about STAR NET activities, visit The Center: Resources for Teaching and Learning Web site at http://www.thecenterweb.org/ and click on the STAR NET link in the left-hand sidebar.

iris
Is it okay to use books-on-tape and puppets to enhance the stories that a being read to the children?

Marsha Glick
iris, yes! Anything that you can do where you are involving yourself with the child is a great way to expand methods of literacy development.

IELmoderator
Remember that the IEL Web site is available not only in English but also in Spanish. The Spanish home page is at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/index-sp.html.

lois
At what age should you ask a child to re-tell the story you have just read? And should you wait until the whole story is read before you interrupt to ask the child questions?

Marsha Glick
lois, it depends on the child's developmental and language level. You can start by asking the child to name one thing or tell one part. You do not necessarily have to wait until the end of the book to ask the child to re-tell a part of the story. It can be constant give and take between the adult and the child.

jpm
Although my family loves books, I'm also interested in some good ways to encourage a little one's oral language. You already mentioned reciting nursery rhymes.

Marsha Glick
jpm, you can also use familiar fairy tales and songs that are repetitious -- even making up some of your own -- as long as your child enjoys doing this and it encourages him or her to use language.

IELmoderator
Remember that you may send a question at any time to the IEL staff. Just email your question to iel@uiuc.edu or call us at (877) 275-3227 between 8 am and 12 pm and between 1 and 5 pm on business days.

YMCA Inf/todd
If you have a limited number of books, is it okay to change the story when reading to a child, even if the words don't coincide with what is written?

Marsha Glick
YMCA Inf/todd, yes, you can. The child does not read the words. Young children read the pictures, and you can change it. The most important thing is that the story line stays intact. Otherwise, it can be confusing to a child. Wait until they are in preschool to start varying the story line. Also, check out garage sales and the library for sources of books.

lois
Should you point out words in the story as you read to a 4-year-old? Should you say this is a "word" and another "word"? At what age should something like this come into discussion? For a 3-year-old, do you say the name of the book is ___ and here is the person's name who wrote the book?

Marsha Glick
lois, you can always tell the name of the author and use the terms "This is the person who wrote the book" For 4-year-olds, you can point to the words as you are reading from left to right.

midwestslp
What do you tell parents who say their toddler won't listen to stories?

Marsha Glick
midwestslp, try to include a story at least once a day at a quiet time. You can also just tell stories and use gestures to illustrate stories. Remember that they only have a limited attention span. They aren't going to sit for an hour!

IELmoderator
IEL has a series of Chat sessions scheduled through the middle of June. You can view the Chat schedule on the Chat page: http://illinoisearlylearning.org/chat.htmEditor's note: This url has changed:http://illinoisearlylearning.org/askanexpert.htm#pastchat. The next scheduled chat is Monday, April 7, 2003, from 7 to 8 pm Central Time. The Chat topic is "Caring for Children with Asthma." The guest speaker will be Janette Hoffman, Child Care Nurse Consultant at the Child Care Resource Service at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and also for the Macon County Health Department.

lori
My day care children don't want to sit and listen to a story. They want to look at the pictures and then put the book back on the shelf.

Marsha Glick
lori, as long as a child is learning how to handle a book, it is okay for him or her to just handle the book and turn the pages. They are learning "book skills," and at other times an adult may have to sit and read with the child.

IELmoderator
Ms. Glick, here's a question we received before the Chat:
Why should we worry about literacy for infants and toddlers?

Marsha Glick
Literacy is an ongoing process that begins at birth and is extremely important during the child's first three years. These early literacy skills begin with the child's earliest experiences with language, books, and other visual material, and through interactions with the significant people in the child's early life.

lois
Is it important for fathers as well as mothers to read to their little ones? Or, if there isn't a father in the home, another male -- a brother, uncle, grandfather?

Marsha Glick
lois, if there is a father or a male figure in the house, it is good to encourage him to read to the child. If the male figure is uncomfortable reading to the child, then verbal and physical closeness are also important prerequisites to literacy.

booklover
We hear from people who talk about brain development research that there are time-limited opportunities to have experiences that can influence development. Is that true with reading, too? If parents and caregivers don't do some of these things that you talk about, can the child "catch up" later if he or she is in an environment (say, in preschool) where story reading , writing, and oral language are stressed more, or are these children just out of luck!?

Marsha Glick
booklover, research demonstrates that the first three years are very important for early literacy development; however, later experiences are still very important and will have a tremendous influence on the child's literacy development. The window of opportunity is never closed.

IELmoderator
IEL produces a series of Tip Sheets, short, informative pages on topics of use to parents and caregivers in Illinois. You can visit the Tip Sheets page on the IEL Web site: http://ecap.crc.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/iel/searchiel.cgi?action=searchieltips. The Tip Sheets are also available in Spanish as "Paginas de Consejos."

One of the sections on the Tip Sheets page is "Language Arts," which is related to the topic of tonight's Chat. For example, you can find the following relevant Tip Sheets:

• Fun at Home with Preschoolers: Getting Ready to Read!
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/homeactivities.htm
• Getting Ready to Read and Write in Child Care
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/litenviron.htm
• Sharing Books with Your Baby
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/booksbaby.htm
• Sharing Books with Your Toddler
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/bookstoddler.htm
• Things to Do while You're Waiting: Language and Literacy
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/languageandlit.htm

jpm
What should a parent's response be when his or her toddler pulls all the books off a shelf or dumps a sibling's textbooks into a toy shopping cart and wheels it around? I sort of thought that showed my children's interest in books, but some of my younger relatives with little ones get concerned.

Marsha Glick
jpm, the child is in a play atmosphere and is using the books as a part of that experience, but, as a parent, you can limit the child's access to books so he or she doesn't have the opportunity to pull a bunch of books off of a shelf and dump them into a cart.

lois
What does the child care worker do when the mother of the child is pushing too hard for writing of letters and the child starts to say, "I can't, I can't...you do it" (to the child care worker). How is it best to work with the child?

Marsha Glick
lois, you can talk with the parents about the progression of writing skills so that even though the child is not writing letters but is doing what we call "scribbling," the child is demonstrating letter-writing skills.

Rhiannon
What do you suggest for single mothers, with no "father figure," in terms of literacy development and sex-role stereotypes?

Marsha Glick
Rhiannon, you can provide a variety of books that show both female and male figures in different roles.

booklover
If young children see their parents (and grandparents) reading, won't they naturally be interested and want to learn to read?

Marsha Glick
booklover, yes, if children see good reading models, it encourages their willingness to listen to stories and use books effectively. It is also important to have a large number of reading materials around, including newspapers, comics, books, advertisements -- nearly anything that is in print.

dee
Describe the ultimate writing center for toddlers.

Marsha Glick
dee, the center would provide various writing tools, such as crayons, markers, and paints, as well as a number of varied surfaces to write on, such as easel paper, notebook paper, unused blank check stubs, etc. It is important that there be an adult supervising this.

IELmoderator
Each of the English Tip Sheets mentioned earlier is also available in Spanish as follows:

• Diversión en casa con los ninos preescolares: !Preparándose para leer!
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets-sp/homeactivities-sp.htm
  (Translation of "Fun at Home with Preschoolers: Getting Ready to Read!")
• La preparación para leer y escribir en la guardería
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets-sp/litenviron-sp.htm
  (Translation of "Getting Ready to Read and Write in Child Care")
• Compartiendo libros con su bebé
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets-sp/booksbaby-sp.htm
  (Translation of "Sharing Books with Your Baby")
• Compartiendo libros con con su toddler o nino pequeno
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets-sp/bookstoddler-sp.htm
  (Translation of "Sharing Books with Your Toddler")
• Cosas que hacer mientras se está esperando: El lenguaje y el alfabetismo
  http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets-sp/languageandlit-sp.htm
  (Translation of "Things to Do while You're Waiting: Language and Literacy")

iris
When is the best time to start using flash cards with the word and the picture of the object to enhance the learning process?

Marsha Glick
iris, if your child is enjoying it for short periods of time, then it's fine. If your child objects to it, then it is probably not the time and it is best, in this case, to just use stories and point out words.

Rhiannon
Who would you suggest as the current "experts" in brain-based research?

Marsha Glick
Rhiannon, I am not an expert in the field of brain-based research; however, you may get more information from this Web page:
http://npin.org/library/2001/n00534/n00534.html Editor's Note: this url is no longer active.The National Parent Information Network was discontinued on December 31, 2003. As a result, this resource is no longer available.

IELmoderator
Here's a follow-up question from Rhiannon to the previous question.

Rhiannon
I've tried that, and I notice that there are still sex-role stereotypes, starting at as early as 2 or 3: "Only boys can be firemen," etc.

Marsha Glick
rhiannon, I have some good resources talking about male-female stereotypes. There are two books that show both males and females doing and participating in the same work/activities. The books are The Mommy Book and The Daddy Book by Todd Parr.

Rhiannon
Great! Thanks!!!

YMCA Inf/todd
Yes....but what age is appropriate to read I Have Two Mommies or My Two Dads?

Marsha Glick
YMCA Inf/todd, the best time is when a child asks questions about a given relationship, but remember to keep the answers appropriate to the child's age and developmental level.

iris
Do you know of any story books that have pictures of families containing mixed heritages?

Marsha Glick
iris, yes, I do. Books that show varied heritages are:

• A Rainbow All around Me by Sandra Pinkney
• A Kid's Best Friend and Animal Friends by Maya Ajmera
• Good Morning and Good Night and Playtime by Lara Holtz
• Hello World! by Manya Stojic
• Hugs and Kisses, Peek-a-boo, You!, and Sleep by Roberta Intrater

jpm
What are some words of wisdom for caregivers and perhaps grandparents to share with parents who believe that they need to get their child to read by age 4?

Marsha Glick
jpm, each child develops individually, and when a skill comes into one child at 3.5, the same skill may come to the next child at 4.5.

IELmoderator
The ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education (ERIC/EECE), the sponsor of this Chat session, also has some resources relevant to the topic of tonight's Chat. These include several Digests, which are short (2-page) summaries of a topic. Here is one example:

• Language and Literacy Environments in Preschools
  http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1999/snow99.html
• This Digest is also available in Spanish as "Ambientes de lenguaje y alfabetización en programas preescolares"
  http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/2002/snow02s.html

Rhiannon
Are there formally endorsed lists of specific literacy products that are recommended? Someone suggested the What Works Clearinghouse.

IELmoderator
Chat participants, the URL of the What Works Clearinghouse is http://www.w-w-c.org/, in case you want to visit that site.

Marsha Glick
Rhiannon, endorsements are only as good as the credentials of the endorser. You must look at each item in relationship to yourself and the interests of your child.

lori
I have a 6-year-old who does not like to read...and I am an avid book reader. I've tried all kinds of books and reading material to get him interested. Any other ideas to get him interested in reading??

Marsha Glick
lori, take the child to a library or bookstore and have him pick out a couple of books of interest to him, even if they aren't of interest to you.

IELmoderator
The Illinois Early Learning Standards, which were published last year, consist of various goals related to each of 8 learning areas. One of these learning areas is Language Arts. Within the Language Arts area are 5 State Goals. Each State Goal is composed of several Learning Standards. Within each Learning Standard, several Benchmarks for meeting that Standard are explained. You can find the Illinois Early Learning Standards at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/standards/index.htm. The Language Arts Learning Area is available at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/standards/languagearts.htm.

A Spanish-language version of the Illinois Early Learning Standards (Pautas de aprendizaje infantil de Illinois) has recently been added to the IEL Web site. You can find this version at http://illinoisearlylearning.org/standards-sp/index.htm.

elina
I tried to be away from Disney-type books (e.g., Sleeping Beauty, Snow White) as they do not reflect children's daily lives and are often violent and hateful. Recently, my daughter began to show a strong interest in those stories. What would you say about those unrealistic books for toddlers?

Marsha Glick
elina, generically, books have an important value. Try to limit the use of books you are uncomfortable with and increase the use of books you feel are more appropriate. You can also use just the pictures and tell your own story with any book.

IELmoderator
The ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education (ERIC/EECE) operates the National Parent Information Network (NPIN). There are quite a number of resources on literacy development in the Virtual Library on NPIN. You can find the NPIN Web site at http://npin.org/Editor's Note: this url is no longer active.The National Parent Information Network was discontinued on December 31, 2003. As a result, this resource is no longer available.

The Virtual Library contains the full-text of documents, most of which are fairly short. You can go to the NPIN Virtual Library page to browse the library, or you can search the NPIN Virtual Library, at http://npin.org/searchvl.html Editor's Note: this url is no longer active.The National Parent Information Network was discontinued on December 31, 2003. As a result, this resource is no longer available.

To find full-text documents on the topic of "Encouraging Literacy Development in Infants and Toddlers," you can type terms such as "early literacy" or "literacy development" into the search box.

jpm
What are some appropriate library experiences for infants and toddlers?

Marsha Glick
jpm, going to the library for story time and having the child go with you when you pick out books for yourself can be good experiences, but remember to limit the time with an infant or toddler.

dee
Is there a very specific article on writing and reading development help to give parents so they do not push their children--something that explains what it looks like at each level and what indicators are present in order for children to move to the next level (including brain development)?

Marsha Glick
dee, it sounds like you are looking for some indicators for different levels of development. At the Web site: http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/
You can type in terms (for example, writing development) into their search box.

YMCA Inf/todd
elina, even though they are fairy tales, there is still a meaning children can learn. Sleeping Beauty -- Don't be an evil stepsister; believe in who you are and someone will except you for that. Sometimes life is really more like a fairy tale if you know where to look.

IELmoderator
Note that you can find additional resources on "Encouraging Literacy Development in Infants and Toddlers" in the supplement to this Chat session. This supplement is available on the IEL Web site at this URL: http://illinoisearlylearning.org/chat/glick/sup.htm.

overlandparkhawk
Marsha, what are your favorite learning materials for infants and toddlers to promote the most well-rounded and affluent children?

Marsha Glick
overlandparkhawk, using materials other than books, such as puppets, to tell stories or using your body movement (moving the child through space to act out a specific story or activity in a story).

IELmoderator
Here's a question we received via email from Anne:

What are the best predictors for successfully getting children ready for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade in terms of early literacy?

Marsha Glick
Anne, setting time aside to read to young children, providing a lot of reading materials, talking to your child and picking up on your child's verbal and non-verbal cues, and using language interactively with your child.

IELmoderator
Here's another email question from Anne:

How can we best encourage the development of early literacy?

Marsha Glick
Provide a variation of experiences. This will be expanded upon in the transcript of this session.

iris
Any more ideas to get parents more involved in children's literacy development?

Marsha Glick
iris, talk to your children, have photos of the family that you can put into a book, and make your own books of both pictures and photographs of objects and movement.

jpm
Rhiannon's question got me thinking about how the notion of formally endorsed literacy products can undermine a parent's confidence re: using the simple things, like little songs, storytelling, and just conversation, with their babies and toddlers. Any thoughts on how to encourage a little more confidence in parents who begin to think they don't have what it takes to rear a literate child?

Marsha Glick
jpm, parents, even without formal training, have a "gut feeling" about raising children. Go with what you feel comfortable with. Even the "experts" don't know everything. Have confidence! Just remember that you need to encourage the children to read, listen, and express themselves.

IELmoderator
Now we'll bring tonight's Chat session to a close. Thanks to all the Chat participants for your interesting questions and for your patience. Please join us for IEL's next Chat. This Chat is scheduled for Monday, April 7, 2003, from 7 to 8 pm Central Time. The Chat topic will be "Caring for Children with Asthma." The guest speaker will be Janette Hoffman, Child Care Nurse Consultant at the Child Care Resource Service of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at the Macon County Health Department.

Marsha Glick
Thank you for joining me! I enjoyed the varied questions and comments!

IELmoderator
Thank you, Marsha Glick, for sharing your time and expertise with us tonight. Thanks again to all of tonight's Chat participants, and have a good evening.

Additional Questions Answered after the Chat Session

Question
Why should we worry about literacy for infants and toddlers?

Marsha Glick
Literacy is an ongoing process that begins at birth and is extremely important during the child's first three years. These early literacy skills begin with the child's earliest experiences with language, books, and other visual materials and through interactions with the significant people in their early lives.

Question
What is the difference between literacy and reading?

Marsha Glick
Literacy is a global concept that includes oral language (speaking and listening) as well as print materials. Therefore, reading is one part of literacy development and emerges as language emerges within the child.

Question
What are some specific activities that encourage literacy development of infants and toddlers?

Marsha Glick
Some specific activities that encourage literacy development include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Set aside specific times to read to young children. Before naps and bedtimes are especially good times for this.
2. Books for infants should have brightly colored pictures and be made of sturdy cardboard (as much as possible) as infants learn through exploring with all their senses, including their mouths!
3. Holding and rocking the infant while singing to him or her encourages literacy development.
4. For toddlers, it is often best to start with books your child likes while expanding to other books.
5. Books that are predictable and repetitive are of great interest to toddlers. These might include stories such as The Three Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, etc.
6. For both infants and toddlers, provide books of family photos so that the young child begins to make the connection between the person and the picture.
7. Singing songs and reciting rhymes, such as "Jack and Jill" and "Humpty Dumpty," etc., are important for literacy.
8. Finger plays in which you not only recite the words but do the movements are wonderful literacy activities.

Question
How much is too much emphasis on literacy for infants and toddlers?

Marsha Glick
Since early literacy development includes experiencing the world through sight, sound, touch, and movement, providing a variety of experiences is important. Therefore, by varying activities, there is continual emphasis on literacy throughout the infant and toddler's day.

Question
Are there some practices that could actually be harmful rather than encouraging literacy?

Marsha Glick
It is important for the adult to feel comfortable with the infant and toddler. As an example, if you are not comfortable singing to the child, it is probably best to substitute many of the other literacy activities. Young children have limited attention spans, so it is equally important to keep this in mind, especially when reading to the infant or toddler.

Question
If an infant or toddler does not seem interested in books, what can a parent or caregiver do?

Marsha Glick
Since reading to infants and toddlers is only part of providing experiences for the child to foster literacy development, providing experiences such as going to the zoo or park and talking about what the infant or toddler is seeing (using limited words for the age group) are other literacy activities. In addition, naming items when in stores -- such as food items, types of clothing, etc. -- and just playing interactively with the child are all part of the early literacy experience. Since literacy development is a continual process, any and all interactions with the infant and toddler are part of the literacy experience.

Question
What do you think about infants/toddlers watching video tapes? Is this helpful or harmful in encouraging literacy?

Marsha Glick
Video tapes, when used for limited amounts of time, can be part of literacy development. The choice of video tapes needs to be age- and content-appropriate for the child and should generally be of short duration. It is very important that the parent sit with the child and label what the child is watching. In addition, asking questions about the video tape that require either a pointing response, a "yes" or "no" response, or a response to a simple "who" and "what" question can help make the limited use of video tapes a literacy activity.

Question
What are some good tips on how to select books to read to infants and toddlers?

Marsha Glick
The best books to select are ones that are simple, repetitive, and predictable. Other criteria for choosing books for infants include these:

1. board books with pictures of other babies
2. books that are brightly colored
3. books that name simple objects, animals, etc.
4. books that only have a few ones on each page
5. books that are washable so that they can be touched and possibly chewed on!

Criteria for choosing books for toddlers can include these:

1. books that have rhymes that the toddler can remember
2. books that the toddler enjoys hearing at bedtime
3. books about animals, vehicles, and favorite foods
4. books that show actions such as climbing, walking, etc.

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