What parents can do to nurture emerging literacy

Children\u27s emerging literacy is an amazing phenomenon. Much research has been done to help educators and parents understand how children develop abilities to read and write. The studies compare learning written language to learning oral language. They conclude that children immersed in language, and expected and encouraged to use language as a tool to communicate, learn to speak naturally (Fields, 1988; Fredericks & Rasinski, 1990; Goodman, 1986; Graves & Senecal, 1989; Ross & BBondy, 1987). This same approach to learning written language needs to be taken: Print needs to be introduced at an early age to children in the home. Children need to be involved with the processes of written language to create meaning and to engage naturally in the functions of language (Butler & OClay, 1982; Clay, 1987; Meek, 1982; Newman, 1984; Strickland & Morrow, 1989; Taylor & Strickland, 1986; Walter, 1986)