Celebrating holidays in early childhood settings is not only fun and exciting, it offers additional opportunities to develop children’s early literacy skills by connecting lessons to occasions occurring both in the context of their daily lives and cultures and those around the world. Holiday literacy lessons involve books, dramatic play, drawing/writing, cooking, crafts, games, etc. … Read more »
Tag: Language
Fall into Literacy: Using The Autumn Season to Support Early Literacy Skills
The Autumn season offers numerous opportunities to support early literacy development with its vibrant colors, exciting holidays, and cozy atmosphere. Educators and families can maximize children’s natural curiosity and excitement of this time of year to create meaningful and engaging literacy experiences. Incorporating seasonal themes into literacy activities helps children connect learning to their real… Read more »
Small Objects, Big Words: Boosting Early Literacy through Show and Tell
Whether you call it “Show and Tell”, “Sharing Time”, “All About Me” or some other name, providing children opportunities to share information about themselves and their preferences is a classic classroom activity that offers a powerful way to develop early literacy skills, especially in young children. Encouraging children to bring objects from home and describe… Read more »
Love, Language, and Learning: The Role of Relationships in Developing Literacy Skills
While much attention is given to early literacy educational practices and programs, the impact of positive relationships between caregivers and young children on their literacy development cannot be overstated. Positive relationships are the foundation of environments that support early literacy skills to flourish. Research indicates that the frequency and quality of interactions between caregivers and… Read more »
What Do the Numbers Say? The Math and Literacy Link
In early childhood education, math and literacy are often viewed as completely separate learning domains. However, while math and literacy may seem like completely different skills sets, they are actually interconnected and can support the development of one another. Furthermore, some research has found a strong link between children’s numeracy skills and their reading skills…. Read more »
Monkey See, Monkey Do- It’s More than Just a Game!
Why do we play imitation games with young children? Of course it’s fun, but did you know that the ability to imitate actions and sounds is a crucial aspect of children’s literacy development? Let’s explore why encouraging children to imitate actions and sounds is an important part of their literacy journey. It Builds Cognitive… Read more »
How to Develop Phonological and Phonemic Awareness During Emergent Literacy
During the emergent literacy stage our earliest developing readers and writers, typically aged birth to two years, are just beginning to understand and manipulate the sounds and structures of language. Even though children in this stage are not yet explicitly aware of phonemes and phonological concepts, there are strategies that promote language development that also… Read more »
The Foundation of Equitable Literacy Instruction
What is equitable literacy instruction? Equitable literacy instruction is comprised of instructional practices that support all children to achieve high outcomes regardless of ability, race, or any other marginalized identity. Our extensive literature review identified 6 equitable foundational principles that provide the necessary classroom infrastructure for implementing effective equitable literacy instruction in Preschool to 3rd… Read more »
A Culturally Responsive Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, but did you know that November is also National Native American Heritage month? During this time, be intentional about using terms that value and respect all people and avoid stereotyping by planning lessons and using materials that celebrate Native American heritage and traditions. For example, steer away from creating “Indian headbands”… Read more »
Pretending Can Build Literacy Skills
One of the many joys of being an early childhood educator is watching and developing children’s growing imaginations. Symbolic behavior play is related to the understanding of a representational system like written language and language behavior in dramatic play is related to literate language (Mielonen, Paterson, 2009). Children are also developing their oral language skills… Read more »