Setting the right environment for early literacy development
One of the best things about kids is their curiosity. They want to see, touch, feel and break apart anything just to see how it works, and they never seem to grow tired of exploring the world around them. The endless how and why can be very exhausting to a parent who has to scramble for an answer to anything from “Why is the sky blue?” to “Why can’t I be a puppy, puppies are the best!”
Early literacy development is extremely important because it gives children a way to satisfy their curiosity and nurture their interests. It’s also essential for intellectual development and creating good habits that could later help them in their academic pursuits, or even just plain day-to-day interaction with their peers. To ensure your child learns how to read and understand language with ease, there are a few tips you can rely on to help them out.
Understand what early literacy is
While reading and writing are skills that we begin picking up very early in life, early literacy development isn’t related solely to those skills. It’s about children learning how to process the information about the world around them and finding ways to express their thoughts, needs and desires. The traditional learning methods that adults use are not applicable to young children, and a specialized approach is always needed. Kids learn through play, so toys, colourful books, music and activity games are some of the best ways to make any lesson stick. Early literacy development means the understanding of language and expression, but staring at a book and trying to read won’t have much effect if not introduced the proper way. Children need interaction with their parents and each other, and you need to understand that this is a continuous developmental process that needs a careful approach.
Start early
Literacy is something that kids begin picking up in the first three years of their life, so introducing picture books to infants can have many benefits. Reading bedtime stories and helping your child use interactive books is a good habit to establish, as kids tend to learn to love books from their parents. Books with animals and other children are usually a good option, and toddlers aged three and up can have the alphabet, counting, shapes and similarly easy lessons introduced. Rhyming and poems are also very effective. Even though parents are practically superhuman, everyone needs help when it comes to their child’s education. Finding the right people who have teaching experience can really assist with skill advancement, or simply help them overcome any issues they could stumble upon. It’s important to find a reliable partner such as Lane Cove childcare centre as they can provide an excellent support to both children and their parents and create a positive, stimulating learning atmosphere.
Learning to love books
The biggest issue for small children is that they have very short attention spans. They won’t be able to just sit in one place for a long time without getting bored, and it becomes even worse if your child suffers from ADHD.
Try to share books with your kids and make it a routine part of their day. Reading on the bus is a good idea if you’re going on a long ride, and discussing a story after you finish it will help them understand it better. When they’re very small they won’t be able to keep their focus, but as they age they’ll be able to sit longer, so you can gradually increase learning time.
Using funny voices and acting out parts of the story can make reading even more fun, and finding books that they can relate to will make it more appealing to them. Teach your kids that books are fragile and that they need to take good care of them – no dog ears, no chewing, no setting down plates and cups on top of them.
Families and parents around the world try their hardest to give their children the best means to help their development. These are some of the universal truths that every parent can use as an excellent benchmark.
For more information and advice Tips on reading stories aloud to children
