Skip Navigation

Home Products Joyful Reading and Writing with Young Children

Joyful Reading and Writing with Young Children

Joyful Reading and Writing with Young Children

Research to Practice Guidance

These resources share practical strategies for teachers to promote joyful reading experiences and support language and literacy development for multilingual learners ages 3–8, with a particular emphasis on dual language learners and English learner students. The resources are based on the What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, "Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade," the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition teaching practice brief, "Integrating Language Into Early Childhood Education," and other research-based guidance.


Professional Learning Videos

Joyful Reading and Creative Expression with Young Children: Planning Tips and Tools

In this video, Dr. Pamela Spycher shares tips, tools, and resources for planning joyful reading and creative expression activities with young children in preschool through the early elementary grades. An accompanying Planning Guide (5.50 MB) contains tips, templates, and resources to help educators plan joyful read alouds and creative expression activities with young children.

Transcript (180 KB)


Scaffolding Emergent Reading, Oral Language, and Writing for Dual Language Learners/English Learners in PreK–1st Grade

Learn about practical ideas for engaging young children with complex texts and supporting them to talk and write about the texts.

Agenda (142 KB)

Slides (6.08 MB)

Transcript (227 KB)


Language & Literacy Development in PreK–1st Grade: Words and More

Explore how teachers can build language-rich classrooms to cultivate young children's language development.

Agenda (170 KB)

Slides (6.52 MB)

Transcript (209 KB)


Joyful Reading at School and at Home: A storybook reading routine

Delve into a routine for interactive read alouds using culturally affirming storybooks, which can be used by teachers, families, and caregivers.

Agenda (429 KB)

Slides (7.75 MB)

Transcript (263 KB)


Joyful Reading at School and at Home: Creative expression activities

Learn how to expand on the joyful reading routine with creative expression activities and how to implement them in partnership with parents and families.

Agenda (168 KB)

Slides (8.32 MB)

Transcript (921 KB)

Educator Resources

The resources below provide ideas for engaging young multilingual learners in joyful reading and supporting their language and literacy development. The reading activity guides can be shared with parents, families, and caregivers to strengthen school-home literacy partnerships.

Reading Activity Guide: Planning Template

Reading Activity Guide: Planning Template

English (83 KB) | Spanish (72 KB)

Reading Activity Guide: I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barns

Reading Activity Guide: I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barns

English (279 KB) | Spanish (280 KB)

Reading Activity Guide: Esther the Wonder Pig by Steve Jenkins, Derek Walter, & Caprice Crane

Reading Activity Guide: Esther the Wonder Pig by Steve Jenkins, Derek Walter, & Caprice Crane

English (71 KB) | Spanish (72 KB)

Instructional Videos

A Teaching Routine for Academic Vocabulary in Grades PreK–1

This video walks viewers through a 3-step routine for teaching new vocabulary to young children that includes lots of opportunities to practice using the new word in different ways.

Transcript (154 KB)


Interactive Read alouds: Learning from books together

This video shares tips for asking effective questions for both on-the-surface and deeper-dive discussions of books, models the read aloud process, and introduces a writing task and a read aloud planning template. Download the related lesson planning template (239 KB), which includes step-by-step instructions for planning your own interactive read alouds.

Transcript (155 KB)


Interactive writing instruction online with young children

This video demonstrates how to facilitate an interactive writing lesson with kindergarteners and first graders in a distance learning environment. Watch Professor Nell K. Duke from the University of Michigan as she teaches children how to collaboratively write a letter using an online interactive whiteboard.

Transcript (172 KB)

Online Availability


Connect with REL West