Early Literacy: Why Story Time Matters More Than You Think

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. What Is Early Literacy?
3. Why Story Time Is So Powerful
4. How We Conduct Story Time at GD Goenka
5. The Emotional and Cognitive Benefits
6. What Parents Can Do at Home
7. Conclusion

1. Introduction Early literacy begins long before a child can read. It starts with listening, speaking, understanding stories, and developing a love for words. At GD Goenka Public School, Mahanagar, story time is a sacred ritual—one that builds language, imagination, and connection.

2. What Is Early Literacy? Early literacy is the development of skills that precede actual reading and writing. These include:

• Listening to and understanding language
• Recognizing sounds and rhythms of speech
• Building vocabulary through exposure
• Developing print awareness (e.g., left-to-right reading, turning pages)

These foundational skills pave the way for confident reading later on.

3. Why Story Time Is So Powerful Reading aloud to children:

• Improves concentration and listening skills
• Introduces complex sentence structures
• Boosts imagination and creativity
• Enhances emotional vocabulary and empathy

It’s a quiet moment of connection that supports both brain and heart.

4. How We Conduct Story Time at GD Goenka In our classrooms, story time is:

• A daily ritual with variety: fiction, nonfiction, poems, picture books
• Interactive: children predict what happens next, identify characters, or mimic sounds
• Multilingual at times, promoting language flexibility
• Often theme-linked (e.g., values, seasons, celebrations)

Teachers use expressive voices, props, and visuals to bring stories to life.

5. The Emotional and Cognitive Benefits Children gain:

• Stronger attention span
• Richer vocabulary and syntax
• Greater empathy for others through story characters
• Early exposure to narrative structure (beginning, middle, end)

These are critical for not just academics—but for communication and relationships.

6. What Parents Can Do at Home

• Read for 15 minutes daily in any language
• Ask open-ended questions (“What do you think happens next?”)
• Let children choose the book sometimes
• Use voice modulation and gestures for engagement

Consistency matters more than perfection.

7. Conclusion At GD Goenka Mahanagar, we don’t just teach reading—we inspire it. Story time helps toddlers and primary students fall in love with words, opening the door to lifelong learning, empathy, and expression.