It is helpful for families to expose children to reading and other literacy-related activities from a young age. Is your home literacy-rich? The checklist below will help you think about that question, and perhaps add to your bag of tricks.
Several online checklists were adapted in creating the one below. You may want to visit these websites for further information:
Reading Checklist for Parents of Toddlers who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
| I check my child's hearing technology every day to make sure it is working properly so my child can hear me when we share books. |
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| I take time to share books with my child each day, even if it's just for a few minutes. | | |
| I have children's books out where my child can reach them. I encourage my child to bring books to me so we can look at them together. | | |
| I use the name for objects, actions and concepts in the book as we look at the pages. | | |
| I encourage my child to point to pictures and turn the pages. | | |
| I watch what my child points to in a book, and I provide the names. | | |
| I watch to see what my child understands; when ideas get familiar, I add more information. | | |
| I encourage my child's language development all day long. | | |
| I am willing to read the same book over and over again. | | |
| I encourage my child to explore books, even if that is just flipping pages. | | |
| I take my child to the library and encourage my child to check out age-appropriate books. | | |
| My child watches other family members read (e.g., using a grocery list to guide what we will buy; reading text messages, leisure reading, etc.) | | |
| I talk with my child about signs and words we see when we are out and about ("Look, that says 'Target.'") | | |
| I listen if my child pretends to read a book. | | |
| I provide paper and crayons and encourage my child to draw and "write." | | |
| When my child's language grows, I connect what is in the book to our real life experiences ("See the dog? We have a dog! That looks like Daisy.") | | |
| (For signing families) Even if I cannot sign every word, I sign what I can and I ask for help in improving my sign skills. | | |
| (For signing families) I learn strategies for encouraging my child's visual attention to my face, my signs, and to the book. | | |
| I tell stories to my child about our daily life. | | |
| I remember to turn off the TV or provide quiet time and limit other distractions at home when it is time to share books. | | |
| I make sure we have good lighting during book sharing time. | | |
| I make bedtime stories part of our daily routine. | | |
For Additional Information, visit:
http://www.handsandvoices.org/fl3/resources/pdfs/Developmental-Milestones.pdf See page 8: pre-literacy/literacy milestones
