5 Early Literacy Activities to Boost Your Child's Reading Skills at Home

Whether your child is just beginning to explore sounds and letters or has started reading simple words, you can support their growth at home. Here are 5 early literacy tips for pre and early readers to help build foundational skills.

📘Pre-Readers (Ages 0-5)

Pre-readers are children who are not yet reading independently but are ready to develop important skills like listening, letter  and sound awareness. 

📗Early Readers (Ages 5-7)

Early readers are children beginning to read simple texts and sound out words. These activities support their decoding (ability to sound out words) and comprehension skills.

5 Early Literacy Activities You Can Do At Home

1. Read Aloud Together

Pre-reader:

Picture books are the perfect way to engage your child in rich texts. Look for picture books with simple, age appropriate stories. Read daily, point to the words as you read, and ask your child questions about the pictures and story.

Teacher Tip: some great early picture books include; The Kissing Hand, I Want My Hat Back, Stuck, The Snowy Day, any books in the Piggy and Gerald series like, We Are in a Book.

Early Reader:

Choose books that match the phonics skills your child has learned. Read slowly, sounding out words as needed, and praise their progress.

Teacher Tip: Not sure where to start? Ask your child’s teacher which phonics sequence they are following or use this page to find appropriate decodable texts.

2. Sing Nursery Rhymes and Songs

Pre-reader:

Use rhymes and songs to highlight the sounds and rhythms of language. Rhyming games and songs develop phonological awareness—an essential pre-reading skill. Encourage clapping or tapping to the beat for extra engagement.

Early Reader: 

Have kiddos create their own rhymes or songs as the begin to grasp the pattern of beloved nursery rhymes. 

3. Play “I Spy” with Sounds

Pre-reader:

Make “I Spy” a game focused on sounds instead of objects: “I spy something that starts with /s/.” This helps children listen closely to beginning sounds. 

Early Reader:

As children advance in their understanding of initial sounds, you can begin to “spy” for medial and final sounds. 

4. Give Everything a Name

Pre and Early Readers:

Build vocabulary by naming the things around you. Talk about interesting words and objects with your child. You might say “Hey look how tall that building is! We call really tall buildings, skyscrapers. Why do you think they’re called that?”  

5. Tell, Act Out, and Write Stories

Pre-Reader:

Make up stories together or retell favorite ones. Use puppets, toys, or actions for extra engagement. Storytelling builds vocabulary and narrative skills, even before your child can read. 

Teacher Tip: Add writing into the mix by “writing” down your stories using pictures to represent words. 

Early reader:

Encourage your child to draw pictures and write simple sentences. Later, “read” the book together to practice fluency and storytelling.

Teacher tip: this free early writing paper is a great place to start. 

Final Thoughts

Whether your child is a pre-reader or early reader, the best way to help them grow their early literacy skills is through positive, playful experiences. Celebrate their efforts and keep literacy activities enjoyable.

Have you used decodable texts with your child before? Check out these decodables your little can use while learning new phonics skills. Subscribe to our blog to find out more about decodables soon. 

What activities have you tried with your child? We’d love to hear your favorites !