Describes a small scale study of children's experiences with books read aloud in nursery schools. Explores what young children learn from hearing books and stories read aloud, and shows how data from this study and a larger scale study conducted simultaneously can illuminiate thinking about early literacy. (HTH)

This article describes how the author's infant son enthusiastically played with buttons from the age of 5 months to his first birthday. The article details his play routines and how they changed over time. It draws on recent neurological research about how the brain grows to argue that this play provided the foundation for her son's cognitive and…

This booklet tells how parents can use all their language skills to build those of their children. The booklet is designed for helping children from infancy to age 6--the most important years for learning the skills they will need to become readers. It offers parents suggestions on how to: talk with their children; read aloud with him/her; help…

Study attempted to determine the extent to which visual perception skills are related to language and general ability in nursery school children. (Author)

The article describes the empirical development of PREP (Preparatory Reading Program), an individualized program for teaching concepts to visually handicapped children at a prereading level. (Author/SBH)

Calls for reforms in instructional practices and curricula control in literacy programs that disenfranchise five- and six-year-olds who have already served for months or years as active members of the literacy club. Illustrated by one child's early literacy and kindergarten experiences. (BB)

Discusses the importance of reading aloud to young children. Suggests several books for reading aloud at the elementary level. (MM)

This article describes a preschool program that fosters emerging speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in children with speech and language impairments (SLI). Strategies used to incorporate literacy-related events and artifacts into the daily classroom schedule are discussed, and sample activities are given. (Author/DB)

Ten French-speaking preschool children in Quebec with intellectual disabilities received either an intervention program based on the emergent literacy paradigm involving modeling, exploration, and interaction with an adult, or a comparison intervention. Pre- and post-test comparisons with a control group found the only item on which experimental…

This study investigated the development of alphabet knowledge among 91 nonreading children followed from the beginning of kindergarten through the middle of first grade. Findings suggested that alphabet knowledge consists of both letter-name and letter-sound knowledge, which have different developmental patterns and which have unique importance…

Examines the types of book-sharing strategies mothers use to make book language comprehensible and enjoyable for children. Finds mothers of 24-month-olds and 4-year-olds used questions and extended explanations whereas mothers of 6-,12-, and 18-month-olds used simpler language and engagement strategies. (NH)

Preschool children (N=38) from low-income households enrolled in Head Start were evaluated for written language awareness. Analysis indicated significant gaps in print, word, graphic, and metalinguistic awareness. Lowest performance was found in children's ability to identify contextualized print within illustrations and their understanding of the…

The purpose of this study was to examine the way in which early childhood educators introduce reading and writing to 4- and 5-year-olds. A random sampling of the 903 public and private preschools registered with the Human Services Department in a midwestern state was conducted. Questionnaires were mailed to 687 randomly selected early childhood…