How to build a foundation for literacy before kindergarten begins

Society · Published 23 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Reading success isn't just about memorizing letters. According to learning specialist Anne Glass, preparing a child for formal instruction involves mastering three distinct pillars: understanding the purpose of writing, recognizing the alphabet, and developing an ear for the sounds within spoken language.

The first pillar is recognizing that written language has a communicative purpose. Rather than treating reading as an abstract academic task, parents can demonstrate that text informs, persuades, and tells stories. Anne Glass, a reading and learning specialist in New York City, suggests using short, 10 to 15-minute picture books with vibrant illustrations to engage children. Using animated voices and acting out characters helps illustrate the narrative function of text. Even mundane tasks, such as creating a grocery list and matching words to items in a store, serve as legitimate literacy events that show how writing organizes information.

The second pillar involves alphabet knowledge and the alphabetic principle. While singing the alphabet song is common, it is vital that children recognize individual letter names independently. This includes understanding the alphabetic principle—the concept that written language consists of discrete letters following a specific directionality. In English, we read from top to bottom and left to right. This sequence is critical even at the word level; for instance, spelling 'fun' as anything other than f-u-n breaks the word's identity because spelling follows the temporal sequence of articulated sounds.

The final pillar is phonological awareness, which is the sensitivity to the sounds in spoken language. This involves recognizing words within sentences, identifying syllables in longer words, and isolating individual sounds. Parents can foster this through play, such as singing nursery rhymes or playing rhyming games during car rides or while cooking dinner. By manipulating, deleting, or substituting sounds in simple word games, children develop the auditory foundation necessary for later decoding skills.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

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