Nurturing a Love for Language: How Early Learning Builds Literacy and Confidence

I loved school as a kid. I especially liked English (go figure!). I enjoyed reading books and even writing essays. Homework was important to me and I always strived to do my best.

My daughter just had her first birthday. What a year it has been. She brings me so much joy and I love this time with her. However, I am already thinking about her education. It’s a blessing that she enjoys books so much that I want to keep that momentum going. I do want to emphasize that it is also important to not only encourage education through literacy but also through experiences.

So, where to start?

Language Is the Foundation of Literacy

Before kids learn to read or write, they learn how to speak, listen, and express. These early experiences with language—asking questions, telling stories, making up songs, even just chatting about what they see—are the building blocks of literacy. It’s not just about learning letters or sight words. It’s about understanding how words work, how they carry meaning, and how they help us connect with others.

The more kids play with language, the more confident they become in using it. They start to recognize patterns, hear the rhythm of sentences, and build vocabulary without even realizing it. All of that supports reading and writing later on—not as chores, but as natural next steps in their development.

Before I decided to start writing professionally, I was an English teacher to students of other languages. I was the doorway through which they stepped into a new language and it was amazing to see how easily they picked up everything that came their way. Having this knowledge has encouraged me to take on this daunting task of being that doorway for my daughter.

But more and more, I’m realizing that learning doesn’t have to look like school. It can look like experiences. This includes reading a book together at bedtime, making up goofy rhymes, or putting on a play in our backyard.

These experiences build curiosity, confidence, and they are the foundation for literacy in a way that feels real and joyful.

Watching Her Grow

It’s been such a gift to watch my daughter grow and start making sense of the world through language. Of course, she can only babble or say ‘dada’ or ‘uh oh’, it’s crazy to think that her little brain is working so hard to make sense of the world around her. She is a naturally curious little silly goose.

So whether it’s through books, conversations, games, or the occasional homemade worksheet, I’m here for it. Not because I want her to be ahead, but because I want her to love learning—for all the right reasons.