Literacy Websites | Booklists & Reading Activities | Online Learning, Games & Stories | Ebooks for Kids
Early literacy is everything a child knows about reading and writing before he or she can write. Children get ready to read long before they start kindergarten. You can help by singing, rhyming, playing, and reading aloud every day with your children.
Every Child Ready to Read teaches parents and caregivers about the six basic skills that comprise early literacy and help determine whether a child will be ready to learn to read and write: Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Letter Knowledge, Vocabulary, Phonological Awareness, and Narrative Skills.
Story Hour at the Library
- Baby Time – Thursdays 10:30-10:50am
- Preschool Story Hour – Thursdays 11:20am-12:00pm
Websites for Parents & Caregivers
- Six Early Literacy Skills – Six simple ways to understand the value of literacy for pre-readers
- Reading Tips for Parents – Techniques to encourage a lifelong love of reading in children (En Espanol)
- Get Ready to Read – Skill-building activities to prepare children for school
- Colorado Early Learning & Development Guidelines – Information about child development, by age group. (En Espanol)
- National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families – Tips and tools for early literacy
- Earlier Is Easier – Activities to engage children ages 0-3 through song, play, talking, writing, laughing, and reading
- StoryBlocks – 30-60 second videos with stimulating songs, rhymes, and fingerplays (En Espanol)
- Songs for Teaching – Fingerplays and action rhymes with music and how-to act them out
Read! Booklists & Reading Activities
- Unite for Literacy eBooks (narrated in 26 languages)
- CLEL Bell Picture Book Awards
- Bright Horizons ‘Growing Readers’
- Goodreads “Best Read Alouds for Young Children”
- Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh ‘Little Kids Booklists’
- Board Books available through AspenCat libraries
- How-to search the library catalog for Spanish language picture books
Online Learning, Games & Stories
- Starfall
- Reading Rockets
- Sesame Street
- Between the Lions
- PBS Kids Activities
- Reading is Fundamental (English/Spanish)
- The Rosetta Project Books to Read and Listen Online
- Screen Actors Guild Read Aloud
- Denver Public Library Phone-a-Story (English/Spanish)
- Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Preschool Library (En Espanol)
Tumblebook Library Ebooks for Kids
Animated, talking picture books to watch, listen, and read at your computer. Pick from award winning and favorite picture and chapter books, plus games and language-learning activities. Choose English, Spanish, or French. Tumblebooks aren’t downloadable, but you can create an account to save your favorites. Click here to learn how.
Searchasaurus
Access children’s magazines and reference books, with easy to navigate connections to subjects like animals, places, people, history, art, music and more. RFL library card required.