31/07/2023, 20:27 How to encourage literacy in young children (and beyond) - The Spoke – Early Childhood Australia's Blog

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from early childhood to Year 12.
Literacy involves meaning-making with materials that humans use to communicate – be they visual,
written, spoken, sung, and/or drawn. Definitions vary according to culture, personal values and
theories.

We look to a broad definition of literacy as guided by UNESCO to be inclusive for all families.
CATEGORIES
Children learn to be literate in a variety of ways in their homes, communities and places of formal
2021 ECA National Conference education.
Speakers

2022 ECA National Conference

What research tells us
2023 ECA National Conference
Speakers New research in three-to-five-year-old children’s homes and communities in Fiji, has revealed that
children’s regular engagement in literacy across many different media has supported good literacy
Active supervision
outcomes.
Advocacy
There were ten main ways of engaging in literacy-building
literacy activities. These included print and
Agency
information, communication and entertainment technologies, arts and crafts, making marks on
AJEC paper, screens and other surfaces like sand and concrete, reading and creating images, and talking,
telling and acting out stories that were real or imagined.
Be You

Black Lives Matter Children also engaged with reading, recording and talking about the environment, reading signs in
the environment, engaging in music, dance, song and, lastly, with texts and icons of religions and
Budget
cultures.
Children's rights
These activities were enjoyed and valued by children and their families as part of their everyday
Christmas lives, and were further bolstered by creating books with children in their home languages and
Community English.

COVID-19 This research can be used to add to our discussions on how parents can help develop their
children’s early literacy.
literacy
Creativity

Culture The Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research found daily reading to young
children improves schooling outcomes, regardless of family background and home environment.
Development
The OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results also indicate a strong
Digichild
correlation between parents reading and storytelling with children in the early years and reading
Documentation achievement at age 15, with those students performing one to two years above their peers.
Domestic Violence
However, it is not just being read to that matters. The adult-child interactions are also very
Early Learning Matters important.

Early years of school These interactions need to be lively and engage children with the text-in-hand. Alphabet toys and
ECA Year of Play phonics programs alone offer little to develop literacy,
literacy as they focus on a code without contextual
meaning. Words, and their letters and sounds, are best understood when seen and applied in
Election 2016
everyday experiences, driven by children’s motivations.
Election 2019

Election 2022
How to be a talking, reading, writing, viewing, and listening
Environments family
Ethics

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31/07/2023, 20:27 How to encourage literacy in young children (and beyond) - The Spoke – Early Childhood Australia's Blog

Family Day Care There are several practical things parents can do to encourage broad literacy and learning in early
childhood years.
Flexibility
1. Don’t wait. Read what you are reading aloud to your newborn. Children become attuned to the
History
sound of your voice and the tones of the language you speak as their hearing develops.
Holidays and Festival 2. Share stories at mealtime. Provide prompts like: “Tell us what your teddy did today”.
Inclusion Alternatively, randomly select from ideas for characters, problems, and settings, for example:
“Tell us about an inquisitive mouse lost in a library”. Oral storytelling provides a bridge to
KidsMatter
written stories.
Language 3. Record on your phone or write down your child’s stories. Turn them into a book, animation, or
Leadership
slide show (with an app). Children will see the transformation of their spoken words into written
words. These stories can be revisited to reinforce learning of words, story structure and
Literacy
grammar.
Mindfulness 4. Talk about their experiences. For example, prompt them to describe something they have done,
seen, read or heard about. Research shows children’s oral language supports their literacy
Music
development, and vice-versa.
Nature play 5. Guide literacy in your children’s play, following their lead. For example, help them follow
Numeracy instructions for making something, or use texts in pretend play, such as menus in play about a
pizza place. Children will engage with various texts and the purposes they have in their lives.
Nutrition
6. Books, books, books. For babies and toddlers, start with durable board books of faces, animals
Opinion pieces and everyday things with few words that invite interactivity (e.g., “Where is baby?”). Progress to
more complex picture books with rhyming language. Talk about personal links with the stories
Outside Angle
and ask questions (such as “I wonder what will happen next or where they went to”) as these
Outside school hours care
will support comprehension. Look to the Children’s Book Council for awarded quality children’s
Parenting literature.
7. Talk about words children notice. Be sure the words make sense to children. Talk about what
Partnerships
words look like, what patterns, letters and sounds they make. This builds children’s word
Play recognition and attack skills, and understanding of what words in context mean.
Policy 8. Involve your children in activities where you use literacy.
literacy For example, if you make shopping lists
or send e-cards, your children could help create these with you. Explain what you are doing and
Practice
invite children’s participation (e.g., “I’m looking at a map to see how to get to your friend’s
Preschool/Kindergarten house”). Children can meaningfully engage with and create texts and see the place these texts
have in their lives.
Professional Learning
9. Use community and state libraries. Most offer interactive family literacy programs. Early Years
Professionalism Counts and The Australian Literacy Educators Association has a range of resources for families.
Protection
Above all, be sure the experience is enjoyable, playful, and encourages children’s active
Reconciliation
involvement. Literacy should be engaging for your children, not a chore.
Reconciliation and Black Lives
Matter By Louise Phillips, Lecturer, School of Education, The University of Queensland and Pauline Harris,
Research Chair in Early Childhood, University of South Australia
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Research This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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Wellbeing
RECENT COMMENTS
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Understanding and supporting
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Louise Phillips
Louise Phillips is a lecturer in the School of Education, where she teaches early years,
arts and literacy education. Louise has more than twenty-five years of experience in
early childhood education and eight years of experience researching children’s rights
and citizenship. Louise is currently co-principal investigator of Civic Action and
Learning with Young Children: Comparing Approaches in New Zealand, Australia and
the United States (funded by the US Spencer Foundation), leading the Australian
investigation of preschoolers’ civic capabilities. Louise is also Co-editor of Practical
literacy: the early and primary years.
literacy
2 thoughts on “How to encourage literacy in young children (and
beyond)”

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31/07/2023, 20:27 How to encourage literacy in young children (and beyond) - The Spoke – Early Childhood Australia's Blog

Doreen Blyth on Early learning

Emily says:
matters for babies, but what do
they even do? October 2, 2017 at 7:30 PM
As they say, everything starts with the family. Parents can certainly influence a child’s attitude
towards school and learning and these tips are certainly a few of them. Good stuff.
TAG CLOUD
Reply

Alison Clarke says:

December 2, 2017 at 5:59 AM
There is absolutely nobody who recommends “Alphabet toys and phonics programs alone”, and
all the stuff recommended here is fine, but once kids start school, a clear, well-sequenced
synthetic phonics program is helpful to all, harmful to none and crucial to some. Once teachers
get proper training in the linguistics and neuropsychology of this (and it’s disgraceful that they
typically don’t get it), it will be uncontroversial, and beginners will be taught a habit of
decoding, not guessing words from pictures, as is currently the case in most schools.
Reply

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PAGES RECENT POSTS RECENT COMMENTS 2023

2022
About us Early Learning Matters Every Day, But It’s Maree Aldwinckle on Understanding and
Critically Important Right Now  supporting educator wellbeing 2021
Blog guidelines
‘Professional love’ in early childhood Kajal Bisht on Embracing the assessment 2020
Subscribe to Blog education: The transformative power of and rating process
emotional connections 2019
Write for us Mary on What every child needs for
Setting the record straight on misguided learning self-regulation 2018
claims about ECEC and the value of
qualified educators Kerri Smith on Setting the record straight 2017
on misguided claims about ECEC and the
‘I wish I was small enough’, How could a value of qualified educators 2016
green screen make this a reality? 
Doreen Blyth on Early learning matters for 2015
A new study of Warlpiri language shows babies, but what do they even do?
how ‘baby talk’ helps [children] learn 2014
to speak

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