Inside Early Literacy: Skills That Shape a Lifetime by Darlene Vreman, Library Services Coordinator: Children & Tweens What does it really mean to be literate? Merriam-Webster defines literacy as being educated or cultured, able to read and write, and having knowledge or competence. But in the early years, literacy looks a little different. For young children, it goes far beyond reading and writing: it includes kinetic literacy (building those important fine and gross motor skills) and social-emotional literacy (learning to understand feelings and interact with others). During the first five years of life, children’s brains are incredibly busy, forming thousands of new connections every single day. It’s a period of rapid growth, and play is the engine driving most of it. Still, there are a handful of foundational skills that help set children up for success once they reach school age. Every Child Ready to Read, an initiative of the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children, highlights six key early literacy skills: • Print Motivation (enjoying books) • Print Awareness (noticing print) • Letter Knowledge (recognizing letters) • Narrative Skills (telling and understanding stories) • Vocabulary (knowing the names of things) • Phonological Awareness (hearing and identifying sounds in words) While these concepts may sound academic, the good news is that they can all be nurtured through five simple, everyday practices:
READ. Sharing books shows children how words look and sound, builds vocabulary, and helps them understand that print carries meaning. It also sparks imagination and storytelling skills. TALK. Talking with children, about anything and everything, shows them how language works. Using rich, varied words boosts vocabulary and lays the groundwork for phonetic awareness. SING. Songs naturally break words into smaller parts, which makes them fantastic for phonological development. Singing also strengthens listening, memory, rhythm, and rhyme. WRITE. Early writing often looks like scribbling, but it’s important. Those small movements help develop fine motor skills and eventually support letter formation. Crayons, scissors, glue, playdough, anything that gets little hands working, helps. PLAY. Play is how children make sense of the world. Imaginative play, crafts, balancing, stop-and-go games, all of it supports the millions of neural connections forming in early childhood. How We Support Early Literacy at the Library We offer books for every age and interest, along with fun incentive programs like the Summer Reading Club and 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. Our Kids’ Spot features activities designed to build early literacy skills, and we host three weekly ‘storytimes’. Beginning in January, we’ll also be expanding our toddler storytimes with extra hands-on activities that model literacy-rich experiences families can easily repeat at home.
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Page 8 Hometown St. Thomas • Jan-Feb 2026
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