Helping your child with literacy

Whilst literacy skills usually develop in the first year of primary school, the precursory language tools start as soon as a new-born baby begins to recognise faces and respond to his or her surroundings so parents play a significant role as the first teachers of their children.

Soon after the introduction of compulsory schooling in Britain in 1880, the question of when formal education should begin was posed. Experts from that time until the current time advocate the importance of play rather than formal lessons for the under-fives.

Contemporary research makes it clear that when parents engage in reading activities (reading stories together at bedtime or visiting local libraries) with their preschool age children, the impact can still be measured at age 10.

Whatever games and activities parents undertake with their preschool aged children, the focus should be on encouragement and affirmation of the skills that are developing and not the results that are produced.

Parents interested in engaging with developmental activities at home can download The Department for Education’s Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage which outlines the suggested patterns of development in children from birth to 5 years of age and encourages learning through structured and unstructured play.

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