In a child’s first five years, it can be hard to know what to do to prepare them for school. However, there are five everyday activities that have been shown to support early learning with young children, and parents and caregivers are probably already doing them: talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing.
Together, these five activities support new connections in a growing brain that build a child’s pre-reading and early math skills, support their social and emotional growth, and build their physical development and coordination.
As a child’s first and most important teacher, parents and caregivers are providing vital learning support through everyday interactions. The library is here to support all that families are doing to support their young learners.
One fun and easy thing to do is to watch one of the Library’s
virtual storytimes with your child. Our storytimes are designed to support the development of early learning skills. We share rhymes and songs to help your child become aware of the sounds in words, a starting point for learning individual letter sounds. We talk about colors and count things. And we do finger movements to build fine motor skills that help a child develop the coordination to write. Most importantly, we provide a time to have fun and play, which is how young children learn best.
Make sure to check out some of the Library’s other
early learning resources to find other ways we can support you and your family.