Educators agree that young children who hear a wide array of stories on a regular basis are more prepared for literacy instruction. Parents control how many books are shared as well as what kind of sharing is done during the hours when the child is not in school or child care. Children who come from homes where books are shared on a daily basis and where a varied selection of books is offered will be more prepared for early literacy instruction because they will have greater experience with vocabulary and ideas than children from homes with a more limited focus on books.
Parents also have a profound impact on children's attitudes about books. Young readers look to the adults in their lives for examples about priorities. If they see parents reading regularly, they are more likely to read frequently as well. If they see parents using reading skills to solve problems and learn new information, they are more likely to mimic that behavior.
Young readers who have experienced situations and tried many things are more able to comprehend stories about them when presented later in school. Parents who take children to parks, museums, zoos and other destinations encourage them to develop a framework of concepts that will enable easier comprehension of ideas in books. The students are able to connect the abstract ideas in books with the real-life experiences they have had.
Early literacy requires a host of foundational skills that prepare a child for reading instruction. Parents can help children learn to expect meaning from print, recognize letters and words and develop understandings such as the left-to-right progress of printed language. Parents can also play games and use common childhood activities that support early literacy development, such as reading nursery rhymes that build phonemic awareness, playing children's games that require matching by color or other attributes and building memory skills by encouraging the child to repeat simple poems or tongue twisters.
The number of words that a child knows impacts his ability to learn to read. Parents have a profound impact on vocabulary development as they choose the type and amount of language to which the child is exposed. Parents who intentionally build conversation skills and frequently inject new words into discussions help children prepare for later literacy instruction. Parents who limit their comments to their children to simple words in the directive or corrective mode also may limit their child's later success with literacy. The quality of verbal interactions throughout early childhood has a profound impact on children's ability to learn to read.