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- Literacy Materials
How Old Is Your Child?
6 to 12 Months
What should my child be doing right now?
Reach Out and Read’s Developmental Milestones of Early Literacy
- Holds head steady
- Sits in lap without support
- Grasps book, puts in mouth
- Drops, throws book
- Smiles, babbles, coos
- Likes and wants your voice
- Responds to own name
- Pats picture to show interest
How can I help prepare my child to learn to read?
Reach Out and Read’s Reading Tips for Parents:
- Babies love your voice: sing, talk, and read aloud as often as possible
- As you observe the baby looking at pictures: She’s really looking, moving her arms with excitement, and talking. Babies love picture books and books with rhymes
- You’re teaching your baby that sitting on your lap and being read to feels good and that books are enjoyable
- It’s okay if your child eats the book! This is how babies explore and learn about their world
- Read and speak in your first language
- Talk back and forth with your baby and make eye contact
- Point at and name things: ball, dog, baby
- Follow baby’s cues for “more” or “stop”
- Cuddle, sing, talk, play read
Doctor-Recommended Books
- Board and cloth books
- Books with baby faces
- Nursery rhymes
- Books with pictures of familiar objects like balls and bottles
- Small books for small hands
- Brightly colored books to touch and taste
12 to 24 Months
What should my child be doing right now?
Reach Out and Read’s Developmental Milestones of Early Literacy
- Holds and walks with book
- No longer puts book in mouth right away
- Turns board book pages
- Says single words, then 2-4 word phrases
- Gives book to adult to read
- Point at pictures
- Turns book right side up
- Names pictures
- Follows simple stories
How can I help prepare my child to learn to read?
Reach Out and Read’s Reading Tips for Parents:
- Smile and answer when your child speaks or points
- Let you child help turn the pages; keep naming things
- Use books in family routines: naptime, bedtime, playtime, on the potty, in the car or bus
- Use books to calm or distract your child while waiting
- If you ask, “What’s that?”, and then name the picture, your baby will learn the names for things.
- Once babies start to walk, holding them on your lap can be a struggle. Some children will want to move around during a story. That’s OK.
- Read stories every day, but let your child be in charge of how long you read.
- When your child grabs the book, she is showing a healthy drive for independence. She’s not being bad.
Doctor-Recommended Books
- Sturdy board books they can handle and carry
- Rhyming books
- Picture books with pictures of children doing familiar things — sleeping, eating, playing
- Goodnight books for bedtime
- Books about saying hello and goodbye
- Books with only a few words on the page
- Books that name things
- Books with simple rhymes or predictable text
2 to 3 Years
What should my child be doing right now?
Reach Out and Read’s Developmental Milestones of Early Literacy
- Learns to turn paper pages, 2-3 pages at a time
- Starts to scribble
- Adds 2-4 new words per day
- Names familiar objects
- Likes the same book again and again
- Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar stories
How can I help prepare my child to learn to read?
Reach Out and Read’s Reading Tips for Parents:
- Ask questions like “Where’s the dog?” or “What is that?”
- Be willing to read the same book again and again
- As you read, talk about the pictures
- Keep using books in daily routines
- Stories are a good way to help toddlers increase their attention spans. If your toddler listens to a story for five minutes, that’s a long time. As children grow, they will sit longer.
- Sometimes you don’t have to read what’s actually written on the page. You can just talk about the pictures — or make up a story about what’s happening.
- Children learn by imitating. Does she ever read to her teddy bears or dolls? Does she see you read?
- One way children learn to read — and learn new words — is by hearing the same story over and over. It might be boring to you, but it isn’t to him. Toddlers enjoy the repetition!
Doctor-Recommended Books
- Rhyming books
- Picture books that tell stories
- Search and find books
- Books with board pages — but also books with paper pages
- Silly, funny books
- Rhymes, rhythms, repetitious text — books they can learn by heart
- Books about children and families
- Books about making friends
- Books about food
- Books about animals
- Books about trucks
- Word books
3 to 4 Years
What should my child be doing right now?
Reach Out and Read’s Developmental Milestones of Early Literacy
- Turns pages one at a time, and from left to right
- Sits still for longer stories
- Scribbles and draws
- Recites whole phrase from books
- Moves toward letter recognition
- Begins to detect rhyme
- Pretends to read to dolls and stuffed animals
How can I help prepare my child to learn to read?
Reach Out and Read’s Reading Tips for Parents:
- Ask “What happens next?” in familiar stories
- Point out letters and numbers
- Point out words and pictures that begin with the same sounds
- Together, make up pictures about the stories
- Talk about the pictures, and the story. Ask who, what and where questions. But remember to give your child time to answer!
- Your child might want to tell you a story. Every time she retells a favorite story, or changes the story, she is practicing using language in a very important way.
- Scribbling and pretend writing is the first step toward real writing. Does he ever pretend to write? Do you ever show him the letters in his name?
- Do you have a library card yet? Going to the library regularly opens up the world inside books. Notice your preschooler’s interests and let her choose which books to take home.
Doctor-Recommended Books
- Picture books that tell longer stories
- Counting books
- Alphabet books
- Books about kids that look and live like them — but also books about different places and different ways of living
- Books about going to school
- Books about making friends
- Books with simple text they can memorize
- Vocabulary books
4 to 5 Years
What should my child be doing right now?
Reach Out and Read’s Developmental Milestones of Early Literacy
- Starts to copy letters and numbers
- Sits still for even longer stories
- Can listen longer
- Recognizes numbers and letters
- Can retell familiar stories
- Can make rhymes
- Learning letter names and sounds
How can I help prepare my child to learn to read?
Reach Out and Read’s Reading Tips for Parents:
- Relate the story to your child’s own experiences
- Let your child see you read
- Ask your child to tell the story
- Encourage writing and drawing
- Point out letters in your child’s name
Doctor-Recommended Books
- Fairy tales and legends
- Books with longer stories and fewer pictures
- Books about kids that look and live like them — but also books about different places and different ways of living
- Books about going to school
- Books about making friends
- Books with simple text they can memorize
- Vocabulary books