Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Shelley Osterloh Reporting Learning to read is key to a child's success in school, and for that matter, in life. But to learn to read, a child must first master some basic skills.
The term for reading readiness is Emergent Literacy. It's what children know about reading and writing before they actually learn to read or write. It's what your toddler and preschooler needs to learn, and the Provo City Library has one of the largest preschool reading programs in the state.
Story telling time at the Provo Library is entertaining, but it also gives kids the basics they need to learn to read.
Carla Morris, Provo City Library: "A lot of rhyming books, of course putting in singing and reading dialogically, which means asking questions so children become involved in the story."
Researchers say there are six things a young child must understand in order to learn to read.
Emergent Literacy Skills
- Print Motivation, or being interested in books
- Vocabulary, knowing the name of things
- Print Awareness, noticing print, knowing how to handle a book and follow words on a page
- Narrative Skills, being able to describe things and tell stories
- Letter Knowledge, knowing letters are different from each other; knowing their names and sounds
- Phonological Awareness, being able to hear and play with smaller sounds in words
Pamela Henrie: "She loves interaction with the kids. And she loves the books. They always do singing, it's very interactive."
Kristy Memmott: "Usually they do a letter, so they learn their letters and they learn words that start with those. My son has really learned that."
And while these storytellers are great, experts say it's most important that parents read to their children.
Carla Morris, Provo City Library: "It's a very cheap way of giving your child a head start. It doesn't cost anything, it just takes a little bit of your time. And you're building memories, you are building a very important bridge of communication."
Storytelling is very popular at the Provo Library. There are 20 storytelling sessions every week and nearly a thousand children attend.
