It's never too early to start reading with your child! Try these one-page Reading Tip Sheets for Preschoolers from Colorín Colorado! (also available for babies, toddlers, and grades 1-3).

Help your child branch out by creating an "alphabet tree!" This fun activity can improve your child's fine motor skills, while strengthening reading, letter recognition and even basic math skills.

Learning is an adventure:
Take a deep sea plunge with Gus and Inky!

Join Get Ready to Read!'s Inky the Octopus and Gus the Bunny, from PBS' Between the Lions, as they go on an underwater adventure!

In chapter one of their adventure, Gus (the fuzzy one) wants to visit his buddy Inky (the eight-legged guy) under the sea, but he needs to pack a bag before he leaves. Can you and your child help him?

Your preschooler will have a great time rhyming, recognizing words and playing letter sound games with Gus and Inky! Join in the fun today!

The Transitioning to Kindergarten Toolkit includes great information for helping your child get ready to start kindergarten.

This "Language Development" excerpt from the toolkit offers parents important learning milestones to look for, as well as several skill-building activities to help encourage language development.

By simply taking time to read, listen, talk, and even sing with your child, you could positively impact the rate at which your child develops important language skills!

The full presentation of  Recognition and Response: Findings from the First Implementation Study, presented by Virginia Buysse, Ph.D, and Ellen Peisner-Feinberg, Ph.D., at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is now available for download.

The presentation focuses on the results of the first study to evaluate the use of Recognition and Response (R&R) in pre-k classrooms and the educational benefits for children’s language and literacy development.

Try these fun activities to help your students develop alphabet knowledge!

Use these printable alphabet flashcards from the ABCTeach.com website, to help illustrate the concept of upper and lowercase letters to students learning the alphabet.

Download this Alphabet Knowledge "CELLPractices" from the Center for Early Literacy Learning for helpful ideas on ways to incorporate alphabet toys and materials into playtime to promote letter knowledge and familiarity.

Giving preschoolers a solid foundation in early math literacy is critical to their future academic success, as well as their day-to-day functioning.

Early Math Matters: A Guide for Parents of Preschoolers, highlights information on how preschoolers learn about the many dimensions of math, and offers some fun and educational math activities and games to do with your preschooler.

Early Reading First — the federally funded early reading program targeting three and four-year-olds from low-income families, is continuing to receive support from the Obama Administration.

Many components of Early Reading First were included in a literacy bill introduced by Congress and the Senate in November 2009 — setting the stage for reauthorizations of several existing reading programs. Read more in "Unproved Early-Reading Program Likely to Prevail."

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