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L O W E R S C H O O L Trevor Translates: Putting the LIT in Literacy by Rachel Rosenberg, Lower School Reading Specialist, and Jennifer Helies, Lower School Academic Support Learning to read is a fundamental experience upon which a student's entire educational journey is built. By instilling a love of literacy prior to formal reading instruction, the foundation is strengthened and infused with joy and excitement. At Trevor, we are constantly striving to promote an authentic love of literacy and love of learning, as we hope to provide our students with rich experiences that lead to them becoming lifelong readers! Research indicates that reading aloud to children is one of the best ways to promote early literacy development and build a love of literacy. There are many benefits to reading to children. Some skills strengthened by this process are vocabulary and language development, listening and reading comprehension, and many more. Another benefit of reading aloud to children is that you can choose books that include different cultures and groups of people in our diverse world. Children can also connect with characters and different experiences, which can help them develop social- emotional skills, such as problem solving and empathy. Studies also show that when children are read to, starting at an early age, they are likely to be more successful once formal reading instruction begins in the classroom. It is important to help readers build good habits! One way to do this is to create a reading routine and read together at the same time every day. This time of the day will quickly become a time that everyone looks forward to and will allow children to connect with the grown-ups in their lives. When children get older and there is an expectation for reading independently at home, having an established routine makes this easier for everyone. While most research primarily talks about the benefits of reading aloud to young children, we also know that these benefits extend to our oldest readers, too. Reading together inspires robust discussions and allows children to experience books that they may not yet be able to read on their own. Reading to children also helps them gain exposure to books that they assume they're not interested in. Children—especially older children who are established readers—often prefer one genre over another. 20 / TREVOR MAGAZINE WINTER 2023–24