Literacy is the capacity, confidence and disposition to use language in all its forms. Literacy incorporates a range of modes of communication including music, movement, dance, storytelling, visual arts, media and drama, as well as talking, listening, viewing, reading and writing. Contemporary texts include electronic and print based media. In an increasingly technological world, the ability to critically analyse texts is a key component of literacy. Children benefit from opportunities to explore their world using technologies and to develop confidence in using digital media. ((Early Years Learning Framework 2009)

At Mawson Lakes Preschool we incorporate literacy in a range of ways both indoors and outdoors. The children take part in  literacy small groups where we focus on a range of skills to strengthen and build skills and understanding of syllables, matching rhyme, producing rhyme and initial sounds.

One of the early literacy skills that we learn at Preschool is breaking words into syllables or beats. For example, banana can be broken up into 3 parts ba-na-na. The aim is to say the word as you break it up into the syllables or beats. At Preschool we often ask/encourage the children to clap out the syllables in words, but you can also hop, jump, or stomp out the syllables.

Syllable item Cards and Number Cards
https://www.themeasuredmom.com/6-syllable-activities/

 

Rhyming Cards
https://thisreadingmama.com/printable-rhyming-activities/

You can print and cut out the syllable cards above to play a variety of games with your child or you may prefer to use a range of everyday items or objects..

You can use the number cards and syllable cards in a range of activities with your child for example

• Use the number cards with your child to sort out the syllable cards, based on the number of claps/beats in the word.
• Encourage your child to place the number cards around a room in your home or outside. Hide the syllable cards and ask your child to find them. When they find a card encourage your child to name the picture and then clap out the syllables in the word. Once they have worked out how many syllables they have, place it on the corresponding number card.
• Place each number card in a bowl or on a plate. Place all the picture syllable cards in a pillow case and encourage your child to put their hand in the pillow case and pull out a card. Ask your child to clap out the syllables in the word and place it on the corresponding number card.
• With your child you can play a variation of “Whats the time Mr Wolf?” and instead of using time you can say “what’s the word Mr Wolf?” Encourage your child to say “What’s the word Mr Wolf?” and you say a word, you can use the syllable card words or a word of your own choice and then encourage your child to step out the syllables in the word.
• Choose an action for your child to complete such as jumping, hopping, star jumps or stomping. Pick out a syllable card and demonstrate how to do the same number of actions as there are syllables in the word. For example, if the chosen action is jumping and the chosen word is bicycle the child would do three jumps as they say the word bicycle.

Another skill we practice at Mawson Lakes Preschool is Rhyming. Rhyming is a crucial early literacy skill that helps children with reading and writing. Rhyming is important as it teaches children how language works. It helps them to notice the sounds within words. Rhyming is a skill you can only learn through exposure and repetition. At Preschool we focus on both recognising and producing rhyme. The ability to produce rhyme is a skill that we would expect children to have mastered at the end of their first year of school.

The first way we teach rhyming is through lots of exposure to a wide range of rhyming experiences. We read books containing rhyming words and talk to the children as we read the book about words that rhyme. We sing nursery rhymes and songs. We also reinforce with the children that rhyming words are words that sound the same at the end of a word. In general conversations with the children, we might comment on words and identify rhymes.

The rhyming words that your child produces do not have to be real words. You can play games where they  make up nonsense words. If they rhyme that is great. There are some songs that you could sing using make up nonsense words.

Willoughby Wallaby Woo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bllXwj2b0cM   

 

Down by the Bay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbXXk8kOoAw   

 

I love to rhyme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVophT8naUM

Also here are home links to some great rhyming books. There are so many on the internet, but these are some of the books that we use at Preschool. Hope you enjoy.

Please let us know if you find some other great rhyming books that your child loves!

Here Comes The Big Mean Dust Bunny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO2C47nRrb4  

 

Oi Dog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WzCjWk2mRw  

 

Oi Frog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2da5yu6rpdg   

 

Pig the Pug

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoggVWS2e2E  

 

Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSHpeIgKuCo  

 

Rhyming Dust Bunnies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2NlqL1QiMk  

 

Sheep in a Jeep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ365yYZ9W0

 

Thelma the Unicorn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkL5O17z52U  

 

The Very Super Bear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1jD-oaNYu4  

We also have a variety of rhyming games that we play at Preschool. Use the link above to the rhyming cards to use in different ways with your child to practice rhyming.  Some examples are :

• Rhyming Snap – Each player must take it in turns to put a card down. When two of the same cards are placed on top of each other, the first person to shout ‘snap’ wins the round.
• Match the Rhyming Words: Lay out all the cards and ask you child if they can find two rhyming cards that match
• More Rhyming Words:Hold up one word and see if you child can think of any more words that rhyme with that card.

When focusing on recognising rhyme, show your child two cards that rhyme and one card that does not. Ask your child if they know what each picture is. For example, if you had a dog, a log and a cow, you would ask your child “Is it dog, log that rhyme or dog, cow?” If they are unsure you tell them which words rhyme. If they are unable to recognise the pair that rhymes do not tell them they are wrong, just tell them which words rhyme and move onto the next pair. Remember you cannot teach a child how to recognise the sounds in words they must develop the skill of hearing the sounds that rhyme. This can only be achieved through exposure to rhyme and repetition. We don’t want your child to give up and not have a go because they are always wrong.

Another part of our literacy focus at Mawson Lakes is Book Making. Book writing has always been very popular experience for the children to engage in at Preschool. Creating books is exciting and fun for children – and is a great way to develop a lifelong love of books and reading. As children publish their own books, they:

Develop book-handling skills. Children learn to hold the book right side up and to turn the pages in the correct order.

Learn about book structure. Even the youngest children can begin to recognise the cover, title, and author’s name. By including title pages and “about the author” sections, children learn about the elements of a book and their function.

Build print awareness. Current research shows that many children learn letters and sounds through writing and decoding their own words. Making books provides a personally meaningful context for writing. And children are more likely to be able to decode words they’ve written or dictated.

It’s as easy as stapling a few pieces of paper together into a book and letting your child create with paint, textas, crayons or pencils to make their own book!

Storytelling
Storytelling is a powerful tool and the oldest form of education. Authors use stories to convey meaning, express thoughts and ideas and pass down cultural belief and history. Fairy tales communicate strong, unconscious messages to children in terms they can grasp and even carry into adulthood. This is because these stories possess genuine resonance and dreamlike power. Research and daily observation tell us that story telling:

Improves children language skills
When young children listen to stories they have the chance to hear words presented in a unique way while also hearing speech inflections. Children hear plot building, conflict, climax, characterisation and more.

Improves Listening Skills: ingredients
Most children usually have a lesser attention span and find it difficult to concentrate on something for long. Also, they end up talking more, rather than listening. Storytelling with children ensures that they are not only more attentive but are also keen to listen and understand.

Boosts a child’s imagination and cultural literacy
A child’s imagination is a powerful and unique thing. With this imagination comes a cultural literacy; fairy tales often include different cultures and ways of doing things. They teach children about cultural differences in the world outside their own gifting them a curiosity to learn new things and experience new places.

Develops creative thinking, imagination and problem solving skills
Fairy tales have the ability to develop the capacity to view situations from a completely different, far more imaginative perspective and find innovative solutions for problems. Children use their imagination to visualise the setting, the characters and the story as it unfolds.

Reading to your children…….tips for parents

• Introduce the story by discussing the title, cover, and author/illustrator. Ask the children to make predictions regarding what they think the story might be about.
• Finger pointing,is a common practice for emergent readers. Finger pointing helps the reader learn to look carefully at print. It supports two early reading behaviours, directional movement and voice-print match
• Read the story aloud to the children using appropriate inflection and tone. Pause and ask the your child to make predictions. Ask brief questions to determine students’ comprehension level.
• Ask questions about the story, relate the story to your child’s similar experiences. Ask the children to retell the story in their own words. Children may not be able to read the words yet, but they can read a book by reading the pictures children can begin by sating one thing about each picture

Other helpful resources:
https://www.education.sa.gov.au/our-learning-sa/prior-to-school?field_filter_level_1_tid=15252

Download this whole page here:

Literacy – learning from home instructions document
(PDF, 489KB)