River Forest Public Library River Forest Public Library

May Early Literacy Tip

Spring Cleaning? Get Organized.

Children are little scientists! Naming and categorizing things can help children make sense of their world.

“Children begin using their senses to recognize patterns and categorize things at a young age — skills that play an important role in early learning.” (source: rocketreading.org)

By grouping things that go together such as silverware or toys, children are noticing size, shape, colors, and uses. Have your child sort objects into similar groups. The groups, or categories, could be general concepts such as “hard things” “soft things” or something personal, such as “things that were gifts,” “things I found.”

These analytical skills lead to success in academic areas such as science and math. As an added bonus, your kitchen drawers or your toy shelf will be neat and orderly!