What is an effective strategy for promoting literacy development in young children?

Engaging children in shared reading experiences is an effective strategy for promoting literacy development in young children because it fosters a love for reading and offers numerous benefits. Shared reading allows for interaction and discussion about the text, which enhances comprehension and vocabulary skills. It provides an opportunity for children to hear fluent reading, which can model proper intonation and expression. Through shared reading, educators or parents can ask open-ended questions that encourage critical thinking and give children a chance to express their thoughts and feelings about the story, further developing their language skills.

In addition, shared reading creates social interaction as children engage with peers or adults, making the reading experience more enjoyable and meaningful. This collaborative approach encourages children to take an active role in the reading process, building both confidence and fluency as they participate in the storytelling.

The other strategies, while they have their own uses, do not provide the same level of engagement or comprehensive benefits. For example, isolated phonics drills focus solely on decoding skills without the context of meaningful text, which may limit children's understanding of how phonics applies to reading real books. Memorization of sight words can support recognition, but it does not promote comprehension or the overall enjoyment of stories. Limiting storytelling to a weekly session restricts the frequency and variety