Maya Smart on Why Literacy Matters

How do we instill a love of reading in our kids from a young age? Author and educator Maya Smart shares simple strategies for developing language skills in young kids.

Maya Payne Smart is a parent educator, literacy advocate, and the author of Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six. Her website, MayaSmart.com, publishes new book lists, literacy activities, and other free family resources weekly to help parents play their dual roles as first teachers and educational advocates. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in social studies with honors from Harvard University. She serves as affiliated faculty in Educational Policy and Leadership in the College of Education at Marquette University.

Blaire, Molly, and Maya discuss:

How to build your child's language skills from a very early age

The role of technology in kids' reading journeys

How to personalize your child's reading experience

A light touch of language development every day - mentioning how a certain letter sounds or looks on the page, for example - is a great way to foster your child's reading skills, rather than spending hours drilling phonics flashcards one rainy weekend. Just keep engaging with them in a consistent way - that's a great start!

Here's where you can find Maya:

@mayasmarty on IG

@MayaSmart on Twitter

www.mayasmart.com

Buy Maya's book: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780593332177

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