It’s best to start reading from birth, but it’s never too late to begin. Reading: its importance in literacy development Read our article on raising bilingual children for information and tips on supporting your bilingual child’s literacy development. Speaking more than one language has many benefits for children. For example, if your child says ‘pasghetti’, you can say, ‘Yes, we’re having spaghetti for dinner’. Repeat mispronounced words with the correct pronunciation.For example, if your child says, ‘What’s that box there?’, you could say, ‘What do you think it is?’ If your child asks a question, give them the chance to come up with answers before you step in. Follow your child’s lead and talk about things they want to talk about. For example, you could say ‘ball’ and emphasise the ‘b’ sound or ‘ba-na-na’ and emphasise each syllable. Emphasise the different parts of words or different letters to help your child understand that words can be broken down into segments.You could take turns creating a story together. You could share funny or interesting stories from your childhood or tell your child about your family’s past. This can help your child understand how others feel too. Use words to describe your child’s emotions. Talk about feelings and chat about whether your child is happy or sad.For example, ‘Let’s get the washing now’, ‘Look at the red bird’ or ‘Yum, what a nice lunch we’re having’. Talk with your child about the everyday things you’re doing and seeing together.You can visit our Baby Karaoke page for ideas on what to sing. This helps babies understand how language is put together. It’s OK to use baby talk, which is when you speak more slowly, let your voice rise and fall, and repeat and emphasise words. It’s also a good way to introduce your child to the music and stories of your family’s culture. When you respond, it encourages two-way conversation and helps your baby learn words and build language skills.Īnother example is singing with your child, which teaches them about the rise and fall of sounds. Your baby might try to imitate your sounds and facial expressions. Communicating: its importance in literacy developmentĬommunicating with your baby helps to develop your child’s ability to speak, listen and understand as they get older.įor example, you might notice your baby responds to your smiles and your words. Without activities like talking, singing and reading, the brain doesn’t develop these important connections. These connections are used for language, thinking and understanding.
The language experiences that children have before they start school form powerful brain connections. playing with rhyme and other sounds with your child.Īnd the great news is that you can do this in ways that are fun for both of you.You can help with all these areas of your child’s early literacy development by: 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.letters and words – how they look and sound, and what they’re called.pictures and objects – how you can use words to talk about them.For this to happen, your child needs plenty of experience with:
It’s the foundation for doing well at school, socialising with others, problem-solving, making decisions, developing independence, managing money and working.īut before children can learn to read and write, they need to develop the building blocks for literacy – the ability to speak, listen, understand, watch and draw.Īnd as children get older, they also need to learn about the connection between letters on a page and spoken sounds. Literacy development is a vital part of your child’s overall development.