FREE Virtual VPK Literary Resources

What does every parent have in common? They want their child to be successful. One of the best ways to set your little one up for success is to practice early literacy skills.

It's even more effective if you start practicing with them years before kindergarten. Below, you will find information and virtual VPK resources to start you off!

Early Literacy Builds Success

Research shows that a child’s developing brain triples in the first year of life. It is almost formed by the time a child enters kindergarten. So, ages 0 - 5 are the most important to build a solid base for your child. Doing so will help them have a love for learning and set them up for success beyond kindergarten.

By reading with your child for 15 minutes a day, they will read an incredible 5,475 minutes each year. After all, reading to your brain is like eating to your stomach. It's essential to have a set time daily for reading and learning. Consistency gets them used to having a schedule as they prepare for kindergarten reading!

Five Features of Great VPK Literacy Apps

The good news is that there are endless reading programs online for early learning. When narrowing down which ones to select for your child, here are several things to consider:

• Look for bright, colorful, and engaging reading passages in virtual books.
• Find apps that feature interactive games and adventures.
• Start with apps focusing on the most essential letter sounds to develop their phonics skills. Phonics is teaching the sounds of letters and letter combinations. This is the basis for reading and helps your child work up to learning to read.
• Effective apps incorporate a variety of learning modes, including visual and auditory. This makes them appeal to different learning styles and enhances comprehension.
• The app should provide tools to track a child's progress. This allows for personalized feedback for your little reader. You should have the ability to adjust the difficulty level as needed.

Free Online Reading Programs:

• Starfall ABCs: This app focuses on teaching the alphabet and early phonics. It contains interactive games and activities. This app is available on Android and iOS.
• PBS Kids Games: PBS Kids offers a variety of free educational games. They cover literacy skills, including letter recognition and basic phonics.
• Fish School – 123 ABC for Kids: This app introduces letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. It does so in a playful underwater setting, making learning fun for young children! This app is available on iOS.
• Endless Alphabet: This app teaches letter sounds and new words. It uses engaging animations and interactive puzzles to keep your little one interested. This app is available on Android and iOS.
• Footsteps2Brilliance: This app accelerates achievement in phonics, comprehension, fluency, and writing. With a wide variety of books and games, it engages little readers and promotes a love of reading.

Always ensure the apps you choose are age-appropriate as they start preschool reading. Make sure they align with your child's developmental stage!

There are many other literary resources for families! Visit Little Libraries for a free selection of books near you. You can also visit your local Osceola Library for its free reading resources.

For more literacy resources and activities, visit our Parent Resources Page!