Literacy tips

3 LITERACY TIPS FOR STARTING BIG SCHOOL!

What should my child know when they start school...and how to help make their learning joyful!

Starting ‘big school’ is a time of change for children and their families. As parents, we want to give our kids the very best opportunities to succeed. We may talk with them about their feelings of excitement, nerves and wonder; spend time practicing zips, buttons and laces, packing and unpacking their bag and lunchbox, wear-in school shoes and uniforms, walk the route to school, wonder about teachers, classmates and endless other aspects of starting something new. All these tasks are important to a smooth transition from kinder to school. And what about reading? Do they need to know the ABC’s, how to read and write their name, what if they’ve never held a pencil? Argh! Don’t panic, we’ve got your literacy questions covered. We want to take the pressure off, so that heading to ‘big school’ is as seamless and joyful as can be. Read on for tips, games, tricks and tools for a smooth transition to school...plus a little bit of reading science lingo. Let’s Go! Phonological awareness is the ability to hear sounds within a word. It is made up of a set of skills known to be the crucial building blocks for reading. When kids have secure phonological awareness, they are much more likely to become proficient readers. Importantly, we want to give YOU the tools to help them build these skills through play, fun and no-fuss. Research has identified phonemic awareness (a subset of skills linked to phonological awareness) and letter knowledge as the best two predictors of how well a child will learn to read during their first two years of school (National Reading Panel, 2000).

Fact: Children who develop strong phonemic awareness skills at an early age are more likely to become fluent readers and better spellers than children who do not.

Now for the fun part...

Tip 1 - Oral blending and Segmenting

A crucial early reading skill, encourage your child to listen for the sounds in words. Help them break words apart (segment), and put them back together (blend). This is a skill that provides a solid foundation for learning to read. You say dog, they say d-o-g. You say b-oa-t, they say boat.

Tip 2 - What about the ABC’s?

There is no need to focus on teaching your child the alphabet. If you want to expose them to supportive literacy activities, play sounds games: - Eye-spy something beginning with the sound... - Play with alliteration, “Sally sails seven sailboats”. - Do these words rhyme? hat/cat, big/small. - How many syllables (beats) in pig (1), rabbit (2), watermelon (4).

Tip 3 - What’s in a Name?

A preschool child knowing how to recognise their name has tons of benefits (though they don’t need to spell it just yet). Locating their belongings and having some independence in a group environment are just some. Plus, name recognition supports a deeper understanding of letters and sounds and how they work together.

Ways to expose children to their name:

Name puzzles, name stamping, play dough, pompom or pebble name building. Labelling their clothing, toys and books also increases independence and ensures multiple exposures to their name.

If your child is ready to learn to spell their name because they have a solid grasp of letters and sounds, help them to listen for the sounds in their name as a first step. It is important to note that most names use alphabetic code knowledge far beyond what is developmentally taught in the early years.

Here are some examples:

Tom: 3 sounds, 3 graphemes, 3 letters Claudia: 6 sounds, 6 graphemes, 7 letters Alistair: 6 sounds, 6 graphemes, 8 letters Poppy: 4 sounds, 4 graphemes, 5 letters

The Bottom Line

Orient sound and letter play around your child’s interests. Keep this learning fun, keep it light and if your child isn’t yet ready, or they are not enjoying the process, take a break and try again another time.

By Nat and Sarah, SailAway Readers For more information, tips, tricks and tools to support early readers as well as all the info you need to book our preschool and primary school classes visit www.sailawayreaders.com