Literacy
is most commonly understood as reading and writing. But before children can
read and write, they need to learn about sounds, words, language, books and
stories. You have a vital role to play in helping your child with early
literacy development.
Encouraging literacy
development
Communicating:
its importance in literacy development
Reading:
its importance in literacy development
Rhyme:
its importance in literacy development
Encouraging literacy
development-
Literacy
development is a vital part of your child’s overall development. It’s the
foundation for doing well at school, socialising with others, developing
independence, managing money and working.
But
before your child learns to read and write, he needs to develop the building
blocks for literacy – the ability to speak, listen, understand, watch and draw.
And
as she gets older, your child also needs to learn about the connection between
letters on a page and spoken sounds. For this to happen, she needs plenty of
experience with:
pictures
and objects – how you can use words to talk about them
letters
and words – their shapes, sounds and names
sounds
– how words can rhyme, begin and end with the same letters, be broken up into
parts like syllables, be formed by blending different sounds and so on.
You
can help with all these areas of your child’s early literacy development by: communicating
with your child reading together playing with rhyme and other sounds with your
child.
And
the great news is that you can do this in ways that are fun for both of you
2.
Communicating: its importance in literacy development-
Back-and-forth
communication with your baby helps to develop your child’s ability to speak,
listen and understand as he gets older.
For
example, you might notice your child responds to your smiles and baby talk. She
might try to imitate your sounds and facial expressions. When you repeat your
child’s early words, it encourages two-way conversation and helps your child
learn words and build language skills.
Another
example is singing with your child, which teaches him about the rise and fall
of sounds. It also introduces him to the music and stories of his culture.
What you can do
Copy
the sounds your baby makes and don’t be afraid to use baby talk. This is when
you speak more slowly, let your voice rise and fall, and repeat and emphasise
words. This helps babies understand how language is put together.
Sing
with your child. You can visit our Baby Karaoke page for ideas on what to sing.
Talk
with your child about the everyday things you’re doing and seeing together. For
example, ‘Let’s get the washing now’, ‘Look at the red bird’ or ‘Yum, what a
nice lunch we’re having’.
Talk
about feelings and chat about whether your child is happy or sad. You can help
by giving her words to describe her emotions. This can help her understand how
others feel too.
Share
stories with your child. You could share funny or interesting stories from your
childhood or tell your child about your family’s past. You could take turns
creating a story together.
Teach
your child that words can be broken down into segments. For example, ‘man’ is
made up of m-a-n. Also show how parts of spoken words can be blended to produce
whole words. For example, r-u-n or r-un or ru-n makes ‘run’.
Listen
to your child. Follow his lead and talk about things he brings up. If he asks a
question, give him the chance to come up with answers before you step in. For
example, if your child says, ‘What’s that box there?’, you could say, ‘What do
you think it is?’.
3. Reading: its importance in literacy
development
It’s
a good idea to read with your child often. It’s best to start reading from
birth, but it’s never too late to begin. Reading with children from an early
age helps them develop a solid foundation for literacy. It also promotes
bonding and is good for your relationship with your child.
Reading with your child:
shows
her that books can give both pleasure and information helps her learn the
sounds of letters in spoken language helps her understand that stories aren’t
coming from you, but from the words on the page – this teaches her about how
the printed word works helps her develop a larger vocabulary – books might use
new or unfamiliar words improves her thinking and problem-solving skills can
get your child thinking and talking about a new concept, an event or something
that interests her.
What you can do
Choose
interactive books like lift-the flap books, touch-and-feel books or books with
rhyming or repeating words. You can borrow lots of different types of books
from the library.
Encourage
your child to hold the book and turn the pages. This helps him start to
understand that the book should be a certain way up, and that pages are always
turned in the same direction.
Slide
your finger underneath the words as you read them, pointing out each word. This
shows your child that we always start on the left and move to the right when
reading English. You could ask, ‘Where should I start reading on this page?’ or
‘Do you know this letter?’.
Point
out pictures and talk about the pictures your child points to.
Make
the sounds of animals or other objects in the book – have fun!
4.Rhyme:
its importance in literacy development
Rhyming
is a great way to teach children the connection between the sound of a word and
how it’s written.
What you can do
Play
games that involve rhyming. Rhyming games help children appreciate beginning
and ending sounds – for example, ‘cat, pat and mat’. You can play them at any
time – in the car, while shopping or at the dinner table.
Play
games that involve the sound and rhythm of words. You could try ‘I spy’ and
tongue twisters like ‘She sells seashells by the seashore’.
Read
rhyming books like The Cat in the hat or Doodledum dancing.