Early Literacy By One: A Snapshot

Even from a young age, your child can start to show an interest in books, even if it is only looking at the picture. Reading and telling stories to your baby goes a long way. By 12 months of age, you could see your child doing the following:

Reading

• Can look at pictures in books

• Hold their attention on a picture for a short time.

• Likes to hear you tell and read stories.

Tips & Tricks

• Conversation: Talking to your child helps promote awareness of sounds and new concepts.

  • Talk to your child about objects around them and what people are doing nearby. Talking this way prepares your child to read and write in the future.

  • Repeat the sounds your child makes (e.g. dada, muma).

  • Add more sounds and words to their utterances (e.g., daddy, mummy hug)

  • Teach new words during new experiences (e.g. on holidays) or visits to new places (e.g., the zoo, the shop)

• Read To Your Child: Immerse your child in the world of books by reading, singing and rhyming.

  • Read picture books to your child.

  • Read things with sounds and rhyming words.

  • Sing nursery rhymes.

  • Read food boxes and words on T.V. Look at magazines together.

  • Read your child’s favourite books over and over again.

  • Point to words and pictures as you read. Say them out loud.

Please note the above information is general in nature and is not intended as professional medical advice. Please seek an appointment with a registered speech-language pathologist if you are at all worried about your child's development.

References:

• P Roth, F. (2006). Getting Your Child Ready for Reading and Writing. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/siteassets/uploadedFiles/Getting-Your-Child-Ready-Reading-and-Writing

• Speech Pathology Australia (2024). Literacy and Communication. www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au. https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Communication_Hub/Resources/Fact_Sheets/Literacy_and_communication.aspx