Supporting Your Child With Literacy Development

1. Supporting Your Child With Literacy Development By Ciara James.

2. What is literacy? • Once upon a time literacy was seen only as reading and writing, this is not the case now, literacy is made up of many different components. They include… • Listening • Speaking • Reading • Viewing • Drawing • Writing

3. Ways you can support your child • Speaking and Listening • Give children opportunities to speak and listen. • Encourage children to listen to sounds in words. • Sing songs and say rhymes • Talk about things that have happened in the past, are happening at the moment and in the future. • Listen, talk and show an interest in what they are saying. • Play word games • Ask and answer questions

4. Ways you can support your child • Drawing and Writing • Help develop hand/eye coordination by doing puzzles, using play dough, painting, threading, tracing, etc. • Modelling how to hold a pencil, how to correctly form letters • Making books together, cutting out pictures, writing about photos or favourite things, sharing your stories with others. • Practice writing their name • Writing shopping lists together • Writing notes to each other

5. Ways you can support your child • Reading and Viewing • Play looking games to help children notice detail • Play games using imagination • Play board games • Play memory matching games • Point out and read signs • Read cereal boxes • Read cards, letters, catalogues together • Read and discuss favourite picture books • Discuss television commercials and programs • Encourage attempts

6. Establishing a reading routine We see it as our job to teach your child to read and foster a love of reading. Reading at home should be an enjoyable experience where your child has the opportunity to practice what they are learning at school and to enjoy stories they are reading. Books that go home should be easy for the child to read. It is the teachers job to move students reading levels when they have assessed them and feel they are ready. Continue to read to your child, children learn a lot from listening to stories.

7. Establishing the Reading Routine • When Set aside a certain time each day that is agreed on by both you and your child. • 10 – 20 minutes (use a timer) • After a snack and a play, and before a meal preparation • After the dishes or just before bed • Before school in the morning It is better to be in a regular routine, the same each night or morning

8. Establishing the Reading Routine • Where Find a comfortable place for you and your child. • The child has the book in front of them • Without the distraction of other people, T.V. or food • Ensure your child has some special time alone with you.

9. Establishing The Reading Routine • Who The person sharing the reading with the child needs to get on well with the child and have an understanding of the present abilities of the child and the reading process. • This person can be… mum, dad, grandparents, older brothers or sisters a special friend/buddy/neighbour.

10. Establishing The Reading Routine • What The selection of reading material will usually be chosen from the class reading boxes but may also come from: • Children’s books written and published at school • School library or local library • Children’s favourite home books or comics • Magazines, family photo albums, poems, cereal boxes • Anything the child wants to read!

11. Reading Time • Provide a Book Introduction It’s very important for children to be familiar with what it is they are reading. So to tune them in on their new book it is valuable to provide a rich book introduction. • Demonstration of a Book Introduction

12. Reading Time • Praise your child • Encourage your child • Support your child

13. Ideas to help at home • Words If students are having some difficulty reading a particular word, there are many different activities they can do to familiarise themselves with the word. • Find it in the text, write it on a computer • Play word games (see handout) • Make work with play dough, paint it, cut letters out of a magazine to make the word. • The possibilities are endless, try to be imaginative.

14. Ideas to help at home • Letters • Use letter names and introduce the sounds of letter • make an alphabet book, use letter names and children draw a picture. • Play snap with upper and lower case letters. • Display letters around the home. • Letter formation of lowercase letters, starting at the correct point and going in the correct direction.

15. Question Time Any of our early years teachers are available if at any time you have questions about supporting your child as a beginning reader and writer. Enjoy this time and these experiences with your child.

16. Thankyou • Please take a handout of various things we covered today. • Thankyou for your support. The Literacy Team