ENCOURAGING LITERACY DEVELOPMENT

Written by Caroline Meyer

Literacy is the foundation to your child’s education and is vital to their overall development. Literacy is linked to socialisation, productivity in the classroom, developing independence and eventually working and managing money. Before a child even learns reading and writing they have the start with the foundation which includes the ability to listen and understand, speak, draw and watch.  To link words that are printed on a page to sounds that are spoken, the connection needs to be established. This can be done by talking about objects in real life as well as pictures on a page. They learn to link the picture to the words as well as to objects they can touch. They also need to learn words and letters and how they sound and the shape they are.  This can go one step further in to how words rhyme and the different syllables in words. You can help your child develop by encouraging them in all the building blocks that make up the foundation of literacy. 

Some ways you can help encourage your little ones to develop literacy include simply communication with your child. Listen to them, ask questions and respond to theirs. Read to them and point out objects in the books you read. Encourage them to try and name objects in books and in real life. Play with sounds and rhyming words. Get them to join in trying to find words that rhyme. Make it a fun time that you both enjoy. The emotional development will happen on its own in an environment where parents encourage positive learning through play. 

What you do for your child in the early years to encourage the right connections in the brain in the area of literacy will make a huge difference for when they start school. These connections that are stimulated are used for thinking, language and understanding, which is essential in the school environment. Singing, talking and reading help the brain establish these connections which are simply vital to a good outcome. You can start stimulating this from a very early age with communicating with your baby with words, sounds and facial expressions. You then increase and complicate the process at an age appropriate rate to help your little ones develop. You can even talk to your baby and wait for a response before you talk again, encouraging a talk-listen response. Your toddler may be spouting gibberish at you, but that doesn’t mean they won’t benefit from a to and fro “conversation” with you. Encourage communication and the brain will be stimulated to make the connections it needs for literacy. 

Some easy ways to stimulate the brain besides having conversations with your toddlers includes singing songs. When they are tiny, you can sing to them. When they are toddlers, you can actually encourage them to sing with you. Nursery rhymes, simple songs or even made up songs are great to encourage participation and help them hear the sounds and how words are put together. Cultural songs are a good way to help little ones learn and appreciate their ancestry while learning language. Talk to your little one as you go about your day. Tell them what you are doing, point out objects and simply allow them to experience and learn that objects have names.  Naming objects will include labelling emotions such as happy and sad. They can then describe how they feel and also develop empathy by learning that others experience similar emotions. 

Talk to your child about their culture and history. Share stories from when you were young. Let them create stories with you about anything they think is interesting even if it was discovering a bug on the windowsill. Help them learn emphasis by breaking words down and saying each syllable or pronouncing the sounds individually so they are clear. Encourage your little one to talk and listen to them when they do. Help them learn by trying to answer their questions on their own before you give them the answers.  If they have problems with pronunciation of certain words, don’t criticize but instead answer them and pronounce the word clearly so they can learn how to say it. 

While it Is essential for your little ones to hear the spoken word, reading literacy starts with reading to your little one. It is never to late or too early to start. You can read to your newborn and continue for as long as your child still wants you to read to them. When they are older, they can follow along and eventually they may even want to read to you. Besides the building blocks of literacy that this produces, it also improves bonding which is always great for a good relationship. 

You may also find that you pick up on learning problems earlier if you are involved in encouraging your child’s literacy. This means that you can get professional help sooner and in this way be able to overcome many issues before they hinder the child’s long-term development.  If you have any concerns about your child’s learning abilities or possible problems such as sight or hearing issues, chat to your doctor about getting your child assessed to provide the best possible environment for the child to thrive and grow.