Reading for Our Lives: Preparing Children for Literary Success

Literacy is essential to navigating today's world. Without the ability to read, people struggle with basic tasks, such as finding a place to live, applying for a job, or seeking healthcare. With so much of our daily lives depending on reading, it may be surprising that there are such huge disparities in literacy rates. So, how can parents bridge these disparities and ensure their children have the literacy skills they need?   Writer, parent educator, and literacy advocate, Maya Payne Smart, joins Marti and Erin to discuss six "levers" parents can activate to prepare their children for reading success. She also shares examples of simple things parents can do to help their children develop foundational literacy skills. Tune in to hear her tips for helping your kids build literacy skills from birth to kindergarten. And, check out her book, Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six to learn more!   WHAT WILL YOU DO TO HELP YOUR CHILDREN LEARN TO READ? How will you ensure your children have the literacy skills they need? What ideas do you have for how you can activate the six "levers" with your own children?   WANT TO LEARN MORE? ❉ PARENTS’ ROLE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT. Dr. Susan Outlaw shares practical tips for how to support your child’s optimal language development in this episode of Mom Enough. She also talks about how to know if your child’s language development is on track or if a professional language evaluation, and possibly extra support or early intervention, might be needed to help the child reach necessary milestones.   ❉ EARLY LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: INTEGRATING LANGUAGE LEARNING INTO EVERYDAY LIFE. Long before children enter formal education, they are constantly learning from parents and other caring adults who interact with them through language stimulation. Before they even begin to speak, babies are making sense of language, building a vocabulary and developing conversational patterns. So, to make sure our children have this important foundation, do we need to be fluent in English, have a house full of books or know formal teaching strategies? Dr. Alisha Wackerle-Hollman shares reassuring answers to these questions and more.   ❉ PROMOTING LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN: INSIGHTS AND GUIDANCE. Language skills are essential to academic learning, positive relationships and clear thinking. Parents have a crucial role in promoting language development in children through simple, everyday interactions from infancy to adulthood, whether or not English is the primary language at home and whether or not a child is bilingual. Dr. Maria Sera shares research-based information to help you provide a solid language foundation for your child's needs.