The first question we really need to ask is, ‘what does literacy actually involve?’ Literacy covers speaking and listening and reading and writing. Literacy in the early years is particularly important for children as it gives them a head start in learning these essential life skills that they will use on a daily basis, as well as preparing them for when they begin school.
Speaking and listening
The development of literacy skills in the Early Years involves encouragement of children’s communication skills. Children can express themselves and communicate through a variety of ways including verbal communication and non-verbal communication.
Communication is a fundamental aspect of development for children as it enables a way to express thoughts and feelings, as well giving the opportunity to foster and build relationships with others which is key for their social development. Practitioners can encourage speaking and communication skills through interacting with children and having conversations which enable children to practice speaking newly learnt words and linking sentences together. It is important for practitioners to remember that children in Early Years settings can be currently in the process of learning to talk, or have only just mastered the skill, meaning they need time to practice this new way of communicating. Practitioners should encourage children to learn new words and repeat them, experiencing for themselves how these words feel on their lips and the different shapes they need to make with their mouths and hearing the different sounds each word offers. Learning to speak is a new and exciting concept for children and they should be given the time to get their thoughts into words with patience and encouragement from practitioners.
An effective way of encouraging and extending a child’s speech is through phonics. Breaking down words into syllables and into sounds helps children to understand that individual words are composed of different sounds which can help to improve their speech and pronunciation. Becoming familiar with phonics verbally is a great stepping stone for children when they begin the process of learning to read.
Reading and writing
Literacy skills in the Early Years also covers reading and writing. Writing is an essential skill children will learn, which begins with mark making. Encouraging young children to mark make will develop their hand-eye co-ordination and fine motor skills as well as enabling them to practice putting pen to paper and controlling their pen with such precision in order to create the desired marks. Practitioners should encourage children to mark make in a variety of ways, not just using a pen and paper, allow children to have fun with the freedom mark making offers and mark make for the pure enjoyment of it. Don’t forget to acknowledge a child’s hard work and praise them, writing is not an easy skill to learn!
When thinking about literacy skills, reading is one of the first aspects of literacy we think of. Reading is a difficult skill for anyone to learn, including children who are still learning other new skills and getting to grasps with the world around them. Introducing children to books at an early age allows children to become familiar with books, enjoying the pictures and the stories and sounds read aloud by an adult. Even if a child is not at the age of beginning to read, they will benefit from hearing the words read to them and start to become familiar with different sounds, eventually beginning to recognise letters and words. Practitioners should encourage children to join in with stories and repeat words.
Children who have an awareness of phonics when it comes to speaking, understand that different sounds make up a whole word and can apply this knowledge when it comes to learning to read. Children can be introduced to the reading process by breaking up individual words into their phonological sounds, vocalising the sounds and connecting them together to say the desired word. Repetition of the same books, whilst pointing to each word whilst reading is a great way for a practitioner to teach a child to read as a child can learn through recognition and familiarisation of words.