Becoming Literate: Introduction

*** Warning: This post is going to be wordy, so pull out your reading glasses!

I decided to take a step back from my fashion posts and pinterest projects for a minute to introduce what I hope to be a very beneficial parent's guide to raising good little readers. This will be a series of posts dedicated to children's literacy including different stages of literacy, ideas for parents, and activities for babies, toddlers, and on up to kindergarten age.

teepee tutorial here

I have often thought about the different people who have passed on before me that I would like to meet in Heaven someday. If I made a list it would probably take a few blog posts to cover it, but three of my top picks would include: 

• My Grandpa Roy Sharer who passed away when my mom was just 18. My mom adored him so I'm sure I will too!
• My dad's Grandma Leona May Mower. Dad said she was tiny yet very strong and athletic, and he was able to play tennis with her only months before she died! She was also a knitter. As a tennis and knitting person myself, I can't wait to meet this woman who clearly was talented in many ways!
• And the famous, Audrey Hepburn. Who was not only a great actress, fashion icon, and classy lady, but a very inspiring humanitarian.

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Audrey Hepburn has a very unique life story, in that she lived her childhood in terrible circumstances during WWII. She was the same age as Anne Frank during Nazi control, and after reading Anne Frank's memoir she said this: 

"I read it-- and it destroyed me. It does this to many people when they first read it. But I was not reading it as a book, as printed pages. This was my life."

Audrey was also unique in her love of children and how important they were to her. She suffered two miscarriages before finally becoming a mother. Then, she quit acting to stay home with her boys and be the best mother she could be. 

In her older age she became the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, dedicating her time to help the starving children throughout the world. What a fitting way to complete her life when she herself was helped by the very same organization as a child during WWII. I will always admire her for her sincere service.

What does all this have to do with literacy? 

I've always admired Audrey Hepburn and especially her dedication to blessing the lives of children. I sometimes feel helpless in what I can do for the children all over the world, but literacy is definitely something I can teach about to parents. Literacy can be the bridge from poverty and starvation to a comfortable healthy life.

I have a lot of knowledge on children's literacy, being an Elementary Education Major who is nearly graduated, being a mother myself, and having a mom and dad who are both elementary teachers. Growing up I was so fortunate to have a dad that took time every night to read to my siblings and I. He read upwards of 200 children's chapter books to us, and subsequently, we became avid readers ourselves.

My hope is to provide some resources and ideas so that we, as parents, can do our part to raise independent and successful children. Reading opens a world of possibilities to children and we want them to find joy in that.

I hope you will follow my series on becoming literate and chip in any ideas or experiences you have had, I need them as much as the next mom!

---Elizabeth

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Visit the rest of the Becoming Literate series here:

Introduction  |  Birth to 1 Year  |  Phonological Awareness