Earlyliteracy2pagehandout 1
Earlyliteracy2pagehandout 1
Earlyliteracy2pagehandout 1
From www.zerotothree.org/BrainWonders
What We Know About Early Language and
Literacy Development
Early language and literacy (reading and writing) development begins in the first three years of life and is closely
linked to a child's earliest experiences with books and stories. The interactions that young children have with such
literacy materials as books, paper, and crayons, and with
the adults in their lives are the building blocks for language, reading and writing development. This relatively
new understanding of early literacy development complements the current research supporting the critical role of
early experiences in shaping brain development.
Recent research supports an interactive and experiential
process of learning spoken and written language skills
that begins in early infancy. We now know that children
gain significant knowledge of language, reading, and writing long before they enter school. Children learn to talk,
read, and write through such social literacy experiences
as adults or older children interacting with them using
books and other literacy materials, including magazines,
markers, and paper. Simply put, early literacy research
states that:
Schickedanz, (1999). Much more than the ABCs: The early stages of reading and writing. Washington, DC: NAEYC.