Preschoolers (ages 2-5)

Talking tips: Talk during morning routines, in the car, waiting in line, before a nap, during meals, doing household chores, at the store, out on a walk, during bath times, and before bedtime.

Ask your child questions like:

• “How many red things do we see?”
• “What do we see when we look up?”
• “How does taking a walk make us feel?”
• “What kinds of animals do we see right now?”
• “What kind of animals do you like?”

Sing: Singing, which also includes rhyming, increases children’s ability to hear different sounds within words and prepares them to sound out written words.

Things to sing about: Clean up, bath time, diaper changes, reading time, daily tasks, and classic nursery songs.

Nursery rhymes with singing and actions such as I’m a “Little Teapot,” “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” can be shared any time during your day,

Play: Playing is one of the main ways young children learn about the world which helps children understand books and stories once they begin to read.

Things needed for play: A little space and simple props like large boxes, old clothes, empty food containers, and empty paper towel rolls. Using props helps spark your child’s imagination!

As your child plays, sit with them and ask questions:

“Tell me about this building.”

“What do you like about this?”

“What happens next?”

Write: As soon as a child can grasp a crayon, they can begin scribbling which sets the stage for more advanced writing.

Things needed for writing: pencils, crayons, markers, and scrap paper for your child to practice writing and drawing.

Have children trace dotted lines and shapes, use sidewalk chalk outside, make racetracks on a piece of paper for toy cars, let your child help with making a grocery list.

Read: Reading to and with little ones is important to help children become skilled, lifelong readers. You will be creating a reader with each word you share.

Reading to the youngest children: Have fun! Don’t make reading a chore or stressful. You don’t have to finish a book if your child is no longer interested in sitting still. Let your child choose the books they want to read – preschoolers start to have very strong opinions and are more likely to engage longer with books they have an interest in.