Talking is one of the very first activities that supports early literacy skills. Children learn language by listening to others speak.
When children hear words, they learn:
- How words sound
- The meaning of words
- How to communicate ideas and information
Tips for Adults
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Babies are born ready to learn more than one language! Speak to your baby in the language you’re most comfortable with.
- Ask questions and listen to the answers. Children learn by talking.
- Respond to baby babble. This playful and natural dialogue helps babies learn about the cadence of conversations.
- Think out loud. Narrate together what you are doing so children begin to connect words with concepts.
- Talk about books that you have read together.
Books to invite conversation:
- Books we love about talking.
- A selection of bilingual books to encourage conversation in any language.
- Wordless wonders, see our ideas below for these unique books!
Explore Wordless Picture Books
Wordless picture books are a fun and imaginative way for children to talk, explore books, and participate in storytelling in a way that suits their current vocabulary and cognitive abilities.
Here are some ideas on how to read a wordless picture book together with a child:
- Take a picture book walk through the book. Without attaching any story, simply look at the details on the page and talk about what you each see. Take your time and really look together.
- Ask questions: What do you see in the picture? What is happening? Who is here? What will happen next?
- Encourage child-led narration. Let the child use their imagination and tell the story to you.
- Bring the book alive together! Narrate the illustrations together and take turns. Create your own dialogue and different voices together.
Recommended Resources
Resources for early learning brain development:
- Center on the Developing Child: Serve and return
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences: Communicating using Parentese
Early Literacy Tips
Talking, singing, reading, writing and playing nurture a child’s desire to read and prepare them for the adventures of reading.
- Imitate animal noises and other sounds with your child. This is one of the first ways babies and toddlers play with language.
- Throughout the day, listen to sounds around you and talk with your child about what you hear. You can even try to mimic the sounds!
- Using unfamiliar words provides an opportunity for both you and your child to learn. Talk through what the word could mean or use a dictionary.
- Telling stories is a great way to learn about language and each other. Kids love to hear made-up tales and true stories of their families' lives.
Get ready to read with your library!
- Sing and play at Storytimes and Stay and Plays.
- Check out books to read together.
- Draw, write and create at a library program.
- Get your child’s first library card!
- Snuggle up with Storytime Snippets anytime on our YouTube channel.
- Discover Read-alongs.
