It’s About Setting The Foundation
Early literacy is not the same as teaching children to read. It’s about getting children ready to learn how to read. In other words, it’s "pre-reading."
Also, it’s really important. Years before stepping into a classroom, children start to develop skills that will help them pick up reading when the time comes. Doing early literacy activities can help preschoolers improve these foundational skills, so that they receive the head start they deserve.
The Eight Key Early Literacy Skills
Phonological Awareness
Recognizing and working with the sounds of spoken language.
Narrative Skills
Understanding, retelling, and creating spoken stories in a correct sequence.
Letter Knowledge
Being familiar with letters and their associated sounds in written and spoken language.
Numeracy
Being familiar with numbers and the quantities they represent in print and when spoken.
Print Awareness
Being familiar with physical and text-based parts of books.
Print Motivation
Wanting to engage with books and literacy activities.
Vocabulary
Knowing a variety of words and their associated meanings.
Writing Skills
Developing the fine motor skills needed to control writing utensils.
References
“6 Early Literacy Skills | Anaheim, ca - Official Website.” Www.anaheim.net, www.anaheim.net/1050/6-Early-Literacy-Skills.
“Benefits of Early Literacy Skills.” Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children, 12 July 2019, mppfc.org/benefits-of-early-literacy-skills/.
“Early Literacy Skills - Early Readers - Vocabulary and Literacy.” Renaissance, 2016, www.renaissance.com/solutions/early-literacy/.
Johnson, Kelli. “What Is Phonological Awareness?” Www.understood.org, 2023, www.understood.org/en/articles/phonological-awareness-what-it-is-and-how-it-works.
“Pre-Reading Skills.” Readingbrightstart.org, 2025, www.readingbrightstart.org/reading-skills-by-age/pre-reading-skills/.
Strickland, Dorothy, and Shannon Riley-Ayers. “Early Literacy: Policy and Practice in the Preschool Years.” Reading Rockets, 24 Apr. 2013, www.readingrockets.org/article/early-literacy-policy-and-practice-preschool-years.
“Why? - Dirigo Reads.” Dirigoreads.org, 11 July 2019, dirigoreads.org/why/.