A preschool child acquires vocabulary rapidly, and books contribute to this explosion of new words and meanings. Most words are learned by hearing them over and over in a story. By rereading the same books to your child, you are facilitating her desire to learn to read on her own. Young children initially think that the adult is telling the story from the pictures. When they hear a book repeatedly, they figure out that the story stays the same each time.
Preschoolers also discover writing as a tool for everyday life.
They begin to explore writing with scribbles that show them how a pencil or crayon works. Parents will notice their preschoolers starting to distinguish between their drawings and their pretend writing. Kindergartners will find words everywhere, from cereal boxes to billboards. They love all types of rhymes, and rhyming books help them discover families of words. They may know most or all of the letters of the alphabet and begin to associate certain sounds with letters.