Reading from birth: how to build early literacy skills

At what point do children become readers? Is it when they can read a book for pleasure without support, when they first begin to decode or even earlier than that?

As the Department for Education and National Literacy Trust-backed National Year of Reading 2026 enters its final phase, the campaign is shifting its focus to the importance of reading for very young children, from birth to 5 years old. But what does reading look like for this age group? And how can teachers support it?

Early experiences of reading should enable children to make socioemotional, physical, playful and sensory connections that allow them to find out about important information, events and ideas, and help them to form their own views of their cultural worlds.

For very young children, reading does not need to be focused on the printed word or books, but should include having lots of playful fun with language.

Reading for under-fives is rooted in their daily playful experiences of chatting, taking turns in conversations, listening, noticing, responding and engaging with sounds and/or images in the environment, as well as engaging with picture books.

These are important early reading skills, where everyday moments all count. Here are some examples of what this looks like in practice.

Developing reading skills for under-fives

Rhymes, rhythm, steady beat

Sing lots of nursery rhymes, songs, lullabies, action rhymes and finger-play songs because research suggests that babies respond to lullabies long before they begin to understand any words.

It also helps to say and repeat rhyming strings. When I was a Reception teacher, I played the rhyming string game every time we lined up (which seemed to be a lot). Start with a word (for example, “cat”) and, as you move down the line, each child has to think of a rhyming word for it (“hat”, “mat”, “pat”, “sat”). Real words and nonsense words all count, and because the exercise is supposed to be playful, it doesn’t matter if someone doesn’t get it quite right.

In addition, encourage children to make up their own rhymes, songs and poems, and make sure that you provide opportunities for rhythm, rap and steady beat within play. Children will naturally dance, sing, clap, stamp and find patterns within rhythm.

It’s helpful to make a nursery rhyme prop box to support children with choosing rhymes and songs (especially those children who are not yet verbal), so that everyone can join in.

Music and connectivity

Music and language share lots of common features, such as careful listening, paying attention, pattern recognition, sound discrimination and memory. Teachers should therefore include lots of music making, dancing and movement experiences indoors and outdoors.

Build rhythm and repetition into your daily routines, and plan experiences to support children with exploring music through play, such as marching bands and tiptoe symphonies (using quieter sounds).

Encourage freedom and offer space to move to music and for children to follow their own rhythm.

You can also make and play musical instruments, such as shakers, rhythm sticks and cymbal pan-lids, to encourage recognition of patterns and sounds.

Listening and playing sound games

Play listening games indoors and outdoors; listen out for particular sounds in the environment, so that children notice differences and similarities, quiet sounds or different pitches and tones.

Play lots of sound games: for example, using everyday objects and corresponding matching shadows and challenging the children to discriminate sounds and match these to the shape of the objects.

Visual tracking

Another important component of reading (and writing) is visual tracking. To support children’s development in this area, set up water play ramps, funnels, tubes, marble runs and target practice games. It’s also helpful for children to play with bubbles, balls, balloons and hoops - anything that involves throwing and catching.

Readerly curiosity

Beyond this, think carefully about what I call children’s “readerly curiosity behaviours” and be aware of the reading possibilities in their everyday play worlds. For example, consider the many opportunities for noticing and highlighting environmental print (including signs, arrows, images, patterns and logos) within your daily routines and also when children are outdoors in the local community, parks or playgrounds.

Children are naturally curious and there is an opportunity here to shape their meaningful experiences of reading.

Songs, rhymes, poems, stories, rhythm and beat are the pivotal links that facilitate the social, emotional and relational connections that help young children to place value on reading activities.

Practitioners should support families to recognise this by offering some of the above ideas, alongside the more traditional reading focus of sharing stories, telling stories and sharing picture books.

Ultimately, reading is a broad, meaningful and relational process, which is just too complex to separate from communication, talk, language, literacy and play.

Dr Karen Boardman is an early childhood researcher and the author of Early Literacy for Under-Fives

Supporting parents of children up to age 5 and early years communities and championing the critical role that reading plays in children’s early development are key priorities for the National Year of Reading 2026. Find more information here.