Learning to read is the culmination of a long process that starts with learning to talk and then developing diverse skills and knowledge from vocabulary to the ABCs—not just the names of the letters or what they look like, mind you, but the sounds they represent.
These things take time. Kids don’t just recognize the 52 uppercase and lowercase letters—or distinguish similar ones like p and q—after seeing them once or twice. They certainly won’t remember the sounds the letters make, or the ways they combine to make various other sounds, without a lot of exposure and practice.
For the smoothest experience, kids should know as many letters and sounds as possible before entering kindergarten (or whenever they officially start learning to read). All that is why it’s crucial for parents and other early caregivers, from grandparents to babysitters to preschool teachers, to mix letters and literacy learning into daily activities with small kids.
Don’t try to cram it all into mega-lessons—it won’t work and it will make you and your child miserable. Instead, look for chances to include a little learning in playtime or routines with your child. Point out words on a cereal box or your child’s T-shirt, look for letters on signs outside, draw your child’s attention to the text of a recipe you make together, or mix a little writing into drawing time.
You can populate your home with fun prompts and reminders to practice letters and literacy with your child. In Reading for Our Lives: The Urgency of Early Literacy and the Action Plan to Help Your Child, Maya suggests that parents stock their homes with objects to spark little doses of literacy learning throughout daily life, like nursery rhyme mobiles, alphabet charts, waterproof books by the bathtub, or conversation cards on the dinner table.
And anytime you’re shopping for gifts for your child is a great moment to add some of these thoughtful, literacy-supporting toys and decor to your home. You can get intentional about birthday presents, Christmas gifts, Hanukkah gifts, or presents for Kwanzaa, Diwali, Eid—any time you want to surprise your little one with something special.
Have fun and get creative! There are so many unique and beautiful personalized gifts available that make letters, words, and reading a fun and natural part of your child’s day. To get you started, here are a few fun ideas for educational birthday or holiday gifts for kids that support reading skills:
Wooden Letter Train
So many small kids love toy trains, and wooden train sets can make a beautiful (and non-plastic!) addition to your family’s home. You can find lots of small producers on Etsy and other online marketplaces who make wooden train cars out of the letters of a child’s name. You’ll see a plethora of darling options like this train of letters with wheels or this train with letters topping small cars.
ABC Magnet Animals to Teach Letter Sounds
Letter magnets are ubiquitous and a fun way both to practice letters and eventually spell out words—but what if yours gave a clue to the sound the letters represent, too? There’s nothing about an S that tells kids what to make of the symbol, but an S crafted to look like a snake gives them a valuable hint. You can find gorgeous animal-shaped alphabets like this felt ABC magnet set. Of course, some of the letters are necessarily more of a stretch than others, but they can be a fantastic prompt for fun letter learning.
Nursery Rhyme or Storybook Rug or Quilt
If you’re fitting out your child’s space, there are lots of opportunities to enrich it with prompts to practice letters, recite rhymes, engage in oral storytelling, or read together. Rugs, quilts, or blankets with quotations or images from favorite nursery rhymes or tales are ideal for this purpose, and blankets in particular can make popular gifts for kids who love to snuggle up. As your child grows, they’ll be motivated to start trying to sound out the familiar words themselves, especially if you can find one with writing that’s easy to read. Create your own image with text on it for a custom woven cotton blanket, or find ready-made options like this Winnie-the-Pooh rug or an ABC blanket with your child’s name. There are even adorable doll-sized nursery-rhyme rugs for creative play.
Magnetic or Sticker Poetry
Magnetic words or word stickers that your child can use (with your help) to “write” their own simple sentences, messages, or stories are fun ways to build early literacy skills. You can read out the words and let your child arrange them into sentences at first—then, later on, they can sound out the words themselves as they create longer stories. The Magnetic Story Maker Kit is designed for kids to create fun, silly stories. The Magnetic Poetry line also includes various kits of easy words for children, including options in several languages besides English.
Name Puzzle—or Stool
Alphabet puzzles are popular, and you can find many beautiful wooden name puzzles that you can personalize with your child’s name (or even a favorite short phrase or quote). There are also fun twists on the concept, from name puzzles with animal shapes in addition to the child’s name to standing name puzzles, wooden name-puzzle stools, and even name-puzzle step stools with storage that could double as toyboxes.
Personalized Story Book
A picture book customized with your child’s name or that uses it for the main character can make a sweet gift to engage your little one in story time. You can find many options, like a personalized adventure story, a personalized alphabet book, or a personalized coloring and activity book that comes with letter crayons spelling your child’s name. Alternatively, you can make an even more unique tome by getting your own simple DIY storybook printed by one of the many photobook services, like Shutterfly or Google Photos. Illustrate it with photos of family and loved ones, your home, or familiar objects, then add some text naming who or what is in each picture—or even adding a little story of your own.
Personalized Holiday-Themed Gifts
You can also find or make all kinds of customized gifts for different holidays or events that add more letters and print into your child’s world. After all, even clothes with letters, words, or phrases can also be prompts to practice early literacy skills wherever you go with your child or whenever you have a moment together—provided you make it a point to use them that way. You’ll find endless options for different special events, from personalized Diwali treat jars to all-cotton personalized Christmas pajamas.
Story Advent Calendar
If your family celebrates Christmas, a story advent calendar can make an educational Christmas gift that encourages shared reading. Instead of opening a window every day to chocolates or toys—or pictures, when I was small!—your child will get to reveal a little story each day to enjoy together. There are a variety of niche options, as well as a Disney-themed storybook advent calendar, or with a little time and ingenuity, you could create your own!
With these ideas to get your creativity rolling, you can probably come up with many more variations on literacy-rich gifts for your little one and home. (Nursery rhymes on a personalized wall calendar? Book quotes or song lyrics on a customized T-shirt? The possibilities are endless…) The main point is to invest some of your time and thought into preparing your child for reading over the days and years to come. With a little information and intention, you can set your child up with the key skills to become a thriving reader. Reading for Our Lives gives you the blueprint of how to do that.
Then, of course, the next step is helping them learn to read well (and love it)—an even longer process that requires new elements, including ongoing exposure to challenging texts, spelling study, and deep, interactive conversation. But building a literacy rich home and, more importantly, the habit of engaging meaningfully and frequently with your little one are exciting first steps on this lifelong journey. Happy trails!
