Our Philosophy

At Learning Beyond Paper (LBP), we recognize the indispensable role that books play in early childhood education. Books are not merely tools for reading; they are gateways to building foundational language skills, sparking imagination, and fostering an early love for learning. They serve as critical instruments in developing a child’s vocabulary, comprehension, and ability to engage with the world around them.


Why We Emphasize Books

Our curriculum is built on the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to develop literacy skills from infancy. Research consistently shows that early exposure to books and storytelling profoundly impacts a child’s cognitive development, emotional intelligence, and social skills. By integrating books into daily activities, we ensure that children are exposed to a rich variety of language structures, storytelling techniques, and cultural perspectives.


Vocabulary Development Goals

A key focus of our book selection is to support vocabulary expansion. By the age of five, a child should ideally know the meaning of many thousands of words. Our books are chosen to support children reach this milestone through exposure to a diverse range of words and contexts, enhancing their language proficiency and preparing them for future academic success.


Intentionality in Book Selection and Use

Learning Beyond Paper is committed to intentional book selection. Each book is chosen not only for its engaging content and age-appropriateness but also for its ability to contribute to holistic developmental goals such as:

  • Cultural Diversity and Inclusion: Books that reflect a wide range of cultural experiences, values, and abilities, promoting understanding and empathy among young learners.
  • Language Development: Titles that are linguistically rich, providing varied vocabulary and structures that challenge and build language skills.
  • Emotional and Social Learning: Books that explore themes of friendship, emotion, conflict resolution, perspective-taking and other social skills crucial in early childhood development.


Supporting Curriculum and Daily Lessons

Books are seamlessly integrated into our curriculum to enhance daily lessons and experiences. Each book is selected to align with specific curriculum themes and objectives, ensuring that reading activities reinforce and extend the specific learning goals of the day:

  • Curriculum Alignment: Books are carefully chosen to connect with daily themes, such as STEAM concepts or social-emotional learning, allowing children to explore these topics through both direct instruction and immersive reading.
  • Enhancing Daily Experiences: Storytime is designed to complement and enhance the learning objectives of each day’s activities, providing practical examples and stimulating discussion that tie back to the lesson’s core concepts.


Implementation with Purpose

Our approach to using books is as purposeful as our selection process. Educators are equipped with strategies to engage children actively and thoughtfully. This includes:

  • Interactive Read-Alouds: Techniques that involve children in the story through questioning, predicting, and role-playing, making the reading experience dynamic and participative.
  • Related Activities: Books are paired with thematic activities that reinforce and extend the learning experience. Whether it’s an art project, a writing exercise, or a group discussion, each activity is designed to deepen the connection with the book’s content.
  • Parental Involvement: Families are encouraged to continue the conversation at home, fostering an environment where books are seen as valuable and enjoyable parts of daily life.


Science of Reading

The intentional integration of books in our curriculum supports the body of research known as the science of reading by emphasizing phonological awareness, vocabulary development, and comprehension strategies—key pillars for reading success as outlined by contemporary literacy research. Through thoughtful selection of age-appropriate books, LBP ensures that children are introduced to a wide array of language structures and concepts, paving the way for effective decoding and reading fluency. Our curriculum utilizes high-quality children’s literature to support early literacy development from infancy through preschool. Additionally, our strategic use of books promotes narrative skills and fosters an understanding of story structure, two vital components of successful reading and cognitive development. At LBP we use books to nurture emerging literacy skills, and a lifetime love of reading.

  • Early Exposure to Language: Books are introduced in infancy to stimulate phonemic awareness and auditory processing skills, essential for later phonics learning. Daily exposure to books supports early brain development by promoting neural connections and building the foundations for language acquisition.
  • Vocabulary Expansion: Frequent reading experiences serve to expand children’s receptive and expressive vocabulary, model proper syntax and support comprehension and language development.
  • Interactive Read-Alouds: Interactive strategies during read-alouds engage children and encourage them to ask questions, offer predictions, and make connections. These competencies build critical thinking skills and support young learners in expanding their world knowledge.
  • Print Awareness: Providing daily opportunities for children to interact with books supports them in learning how to handle books, understanding print directionality, and recognizing that print conveys meaning. These skills are foundational for reading success.
  • Phonological Awareness: Reading to young children provides opportunities for them to notice, recognize, and manipulate the sounds that make up words. Books with rhythmic and repetitive text, rhyming, and alliteration foster phonemic awareness.
  • Narrative Skills Development: Through storytelling, children learn to understand, sequence, and tell stories themselves, a skill linked to higher reading comprehension effective communication.

 

Through the intentional use of books, Learning Beyond Paper nurtures a generation of intelligent, literate, and empathetic learners. Because we believe that books are essential to the development of key academic competencies and successful reading skills, we intentionally utilize them to set the stage for a lifetime of exploration, understanding, and engagement.