Emergent Literacy through

Storytime and Play

Strategies for Fostering

Emergent Literacy Skills

3955 East Fort Lowell Road, Suite 114, Tucson, AZ 85712

Phone: (520) 721-2334 Fax: (520) 881-0669
www.makewayforbooks.org
 Emergent Literacy through
Storytime and Play
The main purpose of this guide is to help educators foster the
development of emergent literacy as identified in the Arizona
Department of Education Early Learning Standards and Infant-Toddler
Developmental Guidelines, through the use of quality childrens
picture books. This guide is categorized by early literacy concept.
Do not be tempted to focus on only one skill before moving on to the
next. These concepts should be reinforced throughout the day as
opportunities present themselves. Vocabulary Development has been
included as language and literacy develop simultaneously.

Vocabulary Development - The child understands and uses increasingly complex vocabulary.
Explain new words to children when you come across ones you think they may not know.
Give them opportunities to talk and listen to what they say.

Concepts of Print - Child knows that print carries messages. Through daily experiences with
printed materials, young children delight in beginning to understand the connection
between spoken and written words. They begin to follow the print as it is read aloud and
start to discover that reading and writing are ways to communicate information and to
provide pleasure. Children develop the understanding that different forms of print, such as
signs, letters, menus, storybooks, and magazines have different functions.

Book Handling Skills - The child demonstrates how to handle books appropriately and with
care. It is important to provide young children with many opportunities to interact with and
care for books in all environments. Young children need to have access to a variety of
fiction and nonfiction books throughout the day, including those that reflect diverse cultures.
Through these experiences, children learn to hold books right side up and turn the pages
one at a time in order to view the illustrations and to gain a sense of the story or content.

Phonological Awareness - The child develops awareness that language can be broken into
words, syllables, and smaller units of sounds (phonemes). Young children learn to
discriminate between the similarities and differences in spoken language. Such awareness is
the foundation of young childrens abilities to hear and discriminate different sounds in words.
 Emergent Literacy through
Storytime and Play

Alphabet Knowledge - The child demonstrates knowledge of the

alphabet. Children begin to recognize some printed letters,
especially those letters found in their own names. To support
young learners knowledge of letters, adults need to provide chil-
dren with easy and repeated meaningful interactions with written
letters and words within the context of daily experiences. Activi-
ties should be presented in fun and interesting ways that engage
children.

Comprehension The child shows an interest in books and comprehends books read aloud
with increasing text complexity. Children gain understanding about language and reading
through their interactions with verbal language, print, and daily routines. In addition,
children learn about reading concepts by experiencing a learning environment rich in
signs, symbols, words, numbers, and art that reflect diverse cultures. When children are read
to regularly and encouraged to intentionally interact with printed materials, they develop
an interest in books and other printed materials.

Infant and Toddler Development

The Arizona Department of Education has devised a set of Infant and Toddler Developmen-
tal Guidelines for children 0-36 months old. Within these guidelines are indicators of develop-
ing emergent literacy:

Infant-Toddler Developmental Guidelines

Indicators of Developing Emergent Shows interest in songs, rhymes and stories

Literacy
Shows interest in photos, pictures, and drawings

Develops interest in and involvement with books and other

print materials

Begins to recognize and understand symbols

 Reading Tips
We encourage everyone to read to their children every day.
Research has shown that reading aloud to young children is the
single most important factor in learning how to read. The main
purpose of this guide is to help educators foster the development
of emergent literacy as identified in the Arizona Department of
Education Early Learning Standards and Infant-Toddler
Developmental Guidelines, through the use of quality childrens
picture books. This guide is categorized by early literacy concept.
Do not be tempted to focus on only one skill before moving on to
the next. These concepts should be reinforced throughout the
day as opportunities present themselves in all areas of your envi-
ronment, with many types of books.
Be Prepared: Read each book ahead of time so you are confident
while reading it aloud. Practice the storytime activities beforehand so
that you can decide which activities you would like to try, what material you would like to
use, or if you need to modify anything.
Getting Children Ready to Listen: Finger plays, poems, and songs are a great way to start
storytime. Singing can be effective in getting children to join the storytime area. This also
helps to focus the children, introduce a topic, develop fine motor skills, increase vocabulary,
learn new concepts, encourage language development and provide children a sense of
empowerment.

Related Books: Reading related books to children can reinforce a particular topic. These can
be narrative, informational, or a combination of both. Sharing various books about similar
topics help children to make connections to their own lives, experiences, and the world
around them.
Repeated Interactive Reading: Repeated interactive reading is the process in which children,
through multiple readings, are actively listening and responding to the text. The most effective
read alouds are ones in which children are actively engaged in the process. Children are
provided the opportunity to develop an understanding through questioning, prediction,
connection to personal experiences, and retelling the story. A stronger connection increases
the potential to expand skills such as concepts of print, alphabet knowledge, and
phonological awareness.
Make the Most of Reading Aloud: Storytimes with children can take many different forms: read
with a whole group, a small group of children, or one-on-one with a child. When books are
available throughout the learning environment, children are encouraged to read
everywhere, every day! Be ready to read at a moments notice, and never pass up an
opportunity to share a book or story with your children!
 BOOK HANDLING SKILLS
The child demonstrates how to handle books
appropriately and with care.

Use a puppet to engage children in learning book handling

skills. Ask children to show the puppet how to hold a book,
where the title is, where to begin reading, how to turn pages,
etc.
Emphasize with
children that books
cannot take care of
Always point out the title Run your finger along words as
themselves. Perhaps
and author of the book. you read so children begin to
read The Boo Boo
learn print
Book by Joy Masoff
moves from left
and explain to them
to right and top
that books do not
to bottom
heal like our bodies
when reading
do. If books get
in English.
damaged, involve
children in helping
you repair them with
If you have books in various languages that involve different items from your Book
directionality while reading, talk about that with your children. Hospital.

Practice page-turning with the children.

Take photos of childrens hands gently
turning the pages. You might give
children old magazines to practice
page-turning.
If children write in
books, give them
Model how to put away a book properly by playing a game paper to make their
with your children. Ask children to find a book that is not put own books.
away properly (the book is sideways, upside down, backwards,
not closed, or a book thats hiding somewhere in the room,
etc.) and then invite them to put the books away properly.
 COMPREHENSION
The child shows an interest in books and comprehends
stories read aloud.

Children need repeated readings of stories. Re-read stories

often to help children understand and enjoy the story.

Provide sequencing
Help children relate stories to their own life experiences.
practice with felt
In Peters Chair, Peter shares boards and other
his chair with his sister. Can you manipulatives.
tell me about a time when you
shared something?

Give children opportunities to

retell and act
out stories. Use
puppets and
props.

Ask children questions

about details in
stories.
Clothesline storytelling - make simple drawings or photocopy
pages that show four or five main events in a story. Include a
picture and words for the title. Make another page that says,
The end. Laminate pictures or use contact paper. First retell
the story, asking the children to help put the pictures in the
correct order. Then have the materials ready in your Library
Center so children can use them during choice time.

The end.
At the end of the
story, why did the
mice leave some of
the paper white?
 VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT
The child understands and uses increasingly
complex vocabulary.

Use a puppet to engage children in learning book handling skills.

Ask children to show the puppet how to hold a book, where the
title is, where to begin reading, how to turn pages, etc.

Bring in interesting
Explain new words to children to foster vocabulary things such as natural
development. Repeat and reinforce these new items. Provide experi-
words often. (Ex. Read a Curious George book ences that encourage
and explain what curious means. Later in a curiosity. Create a
different context, ask children who is curious about curiosity box where
what they will have for snack. Tell them you are children have to reach
curious about different things.) their hand
in and use
their sens-
Provide opportunities for children to interact with pictures and es to de-
have the chance to describe what is happening in the scribe the
picture. Ask open-ended questions and expand on childrens object in the box.
responses.

Talk frequently with children. Listen to what

Sing songs, say rhymes, and do
they have to say and encourage higher-level
fingerplays throughout the day. These
thinking.
are fun ways to introduce new words.
How did Baby Bear feel when
he found Goldilocks in his Jack be nimble, Jack be quick.
bed? What would you do if Jack jump over the candlestick.
you found her in your bed? Jill be nimble, jump it, too.
If Jack can do it, so can you!
 ALPHABET KNOWLEDGE
The child demonstrates knowledge of the alphabet.

Teach the letters of the alphabet in meaningful ways.

Make a fishing game with 26 fishone for each letter of the

alphabet. Put a paper clip on each fish. Make a fishing pole Start with the letters in
with string and a magnet. Children take turns fishing. They a childs name. Make
name the letter they catch. a pair of each letter
and play Concentra-
tion.
F G
BETH
J
W
S B

E H E

Make a name worm for each child. First draw a worm B H

with a face on colored heavy card stock (different colors
for each child). Write the childs name leaving enough
space between each letter to cut out. Laminate or use
T T
contact paper to make it more sturdy. Cut the letters
apart. Place them in a Can of Worms and have children
Sing variations of the
pick out their colored pieces. Also make name cards for
Alphabet Song. Loud,
each child on the same color as their worms. These can be
soft, high-pitched, low-
used by the children as a reference to put their worm puz-
pitched, etc.
zles together.

PAUL LISA Create a chant using

letters in a childs
CAN OF name. Holding up a
WORMS
A I letter say Give me an
P U L L S A ___! Continue until you
have spelled the
childs name. Then ask
Whats that spell?
 PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS
The child develops awareness that language can be broken
in words, syllables, and smaller units of sounds

Play a listening game. Say several words that begin with the
same sounds. Ask children to listen to see if the words begin
with the same sound heard at the beginning of their names.
(Ex. If your name begins like telephone and turtle, line up to
go outside.)

Sing songs, use puppets, and read books that allow children to
identify and make different animal sounds.

Choose a settle down poem to use every day Use completion prompts. When
before storytime. reading books that rhyme,
encourage children to fill in the
Sometimes my hands are at my side
missing word at the end of the
And then behind my back they hide. sentence.
Sometimes my fingers wiggle so.
I shake them fast, I shake them slow.
Sometimes my hands go clap, clap, clap
And then I place them in my lap.
But now theyre quiet as can be
Ex. How do dinosaurs say good-
Because its storytime you see.
night when papa comes in to turn
out the _______________? (light)

Teach nursery Play games with pictures of rhyming

rhymes and repeat word pairs.
them often. Make
nursery rhyme
cards to use in your
classroom.
 CONCEPTS OF PRINT
The child knows that print carries messages.

Have a variety of printed materials in the classroom (signs, letters,

telephone books, storybooks, cook books, magazines, empty food
cartons, menus, etc.)

Make puzzles out of

Run your finger under food containers that
Ask children to dictate
the words as you read are familiar to chil-
descriptions of their artwork.
storybooks aloud. dren. After children
Read each word out loud as
put together the
you write it down on a
puzzle, ask them to
separate sheet of paper.
say the word or words.

Place name cards in a Place names of children on

basket and ask children their cubbies and other
to find their own names. appropriate places. Help children make
menus with pictures of
food (cut out ahead
of time) on one side
and the words
(written on index
cards) on the other.

MENU
Pizza
Cut out store front names from the weekly ads in the
Milk
community, then attach them to index cards so that they
may be used in the block area as children create Apple
buildings from their neighborhood.