Encouraging Literacy Development in Infants and Toddlers

This list contains a variety of resources which can be helpful to teachers, parents, and caregivers in order to encourage literacy development in infants and toddlers.

IEL Resources

• Tip Sheet: The Gift of Words: Conversation and Routines
• Tip Sheet: The Gift of Words: Reading and Games
• Tip Sheet: Read with Your Toddler!
• Tip Sheet: Sharing Books with Your Baby
• Tip Sheet: Sharing Books with Your Toddler
• Tip Sheet: Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Language and Literacy
• Video: Baby Meets Books
• Video: Dads Read
• Video: Down There

Web Resources

• 13 Things Babies Learn When We Read with Them
  This article from the National Association for the Education of Young Children  lists some specific ways babies benefit when adults read to them.
• Early Literacy
  This page on the Zero to Three website has links to several videos demonstrating ways babies and parents communicate in ways that encourage language development during the first year of life.
• Shining Stars: Toddlers Get Ready to Read
  This booklet from the National Institute for Literacy suggests ways parents can help their toddlers learn to read. It includes a checklist for parents of toddlers.
• Books Build Connections Toolkit
  Find tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics for sharing books with young children and selecting books for your program.
• Talk, Read, and Sing Together Every Day!
  Made specifically for families, caregivers and early educators, these resources from the U.S. Department of Education can help enrich a child’s early language experiences by providing research-based tips for talking, reading, and singing with young children every day beginning from birth.
• Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) Practice Guides for Parents
  These practice guides for parents can be used to provide infants and toddlers with fun and exciting literacy opportunities. Also available in Spanish for infants and toddlers.