You can encourage early literacy development in children through a simple activity: Read to them. Read to your child every night, but involve him in the process. Let him help to choose the books that you read. Also, if you find a book that the child particularly enjoys, read it more often. The repetition helps make the words meaningful.
The more you involve your child in the reading process, the more it will help her connect with what you read to her. For instance, let the child hold the book and ask her to turn the pages. As she learns when to turn the page, she will connect what you say to what is on the page. Do this with all the books you read to her to establish a routine.
Make reading activities accessible in your home. Make sure that plenty of books are always at hand. Also, let your child see you reading so that he knows it is important. Always read to your child when he requests it unless there is a good reason for not doing so, such as it being past his bedtime. When you give your child a present, make it a book from time to time, as this will help him assign value to books.
The skills of reading and writing are intrinsically linked. Keep paper, pencils and coloring supplies on hand and ask your child to write for you frequently. Ask her to help write stories of her own, but also get her to help you write basic things like lists. The more that she has to write, the more your child will start to associate the shapes of the letters with meaningful sounds and words.