Early Ed - Literacy Milestones

3-year-olds

  • Explore books independently
  • Listen to longer books that are read aloud
  • Retell a familiar story
  • Sing the alphabet song with prompting and cues
  • Makes symbols that resemble writing

4-year-olds

  • Name some of the letters of the alphabet including the letters in their name
  • Write their first name
  • Match some letters to their sounds
  • Understand that print is read from left to right, top to bottom
  • Retell stories that have been read to them

5-year-olds

  • Write some letters, numbers, and words
  • Understand that written words are connected to sound
  • Identify initial, final, and medial (middle) sounds in short words
  • Begin to write stories with some readable parts
  • Retell the main idea, identify details (who, what, when, where, why, how), and identify the beginning middle, and end of a story

Ways to support your child

Talk to your child!

  • The more language you use with your child, the more your child will learn. 
  • Ask questions and expand on your answers.​​ Share stories and talk about their day.
  • Try using these phrases:
    • I wonder…
    • What do you notice…
    • Tell me more about that…
    • What else do you want me to know about that…

Read with your child!

  • Read the same book over and over
  • Book time to read with your child every day
  • Talk about what’s happening in the book, point out things on the page, and ask questions.

Connecting Letters & Sounds

  • Make letter sounds and ask your child to draw the matching letter in cornmeal, sand, shaving cream
  • Talk about the alphabet and point out letters in children’s names and other meaningful letters; for example, letters that are in the names of their family members, friends, pets 
  • ​​Draw children’s attention to print in the community—for example, stop and exit signs, advertisements, and logos like Target. 
  • Help children focus on beginning sounds in words; for example, by sorting toys or pictures by sound 

Early Writing

  • Model writing for a purpose—describe what you are doing and why (e.g., “I’m writing a list so I can remember what to buy at the store”).
  • Encourage your children to draw pictures and then write a letter, word, or scribble to describe the drawing. Encourage them to keep writing and encourage all efforts!
  • Ask your child about their drawings and offer to write what the children say to model writing for a purpose. 

This page was last updated on February 7, 2024