Learning experiences play a major role in the language development as well as conceptual development of children. These experiences are very personal to each learner, and the home is the best way to begin learning from birth and extend the learning throughout the school career.
How to make literacy part of your home
- Enhance vocabulary
Any part of your house can easily be used as a vocabulary learning experience for your child. You and your child can label different parts of the home, furniture or rooms using strips of paper. For example, one day of the week you can label different areas of the bathroom by writing on the paper strips: bath, basin, toilet, and so on. The next day, you can use the labels to make a memory game.
- Practice the alphabet
Learning the alphabet is a fundamental part of your little one’s literacy development journey. The key to learning the alphabet is to make it fun and engaging. Singing or saying the alphabet together can turn a learning experience into a fun family activity. You can also create the letters of the alphabet in bright colours and stick them on the wall in your child’s bedroom.
- Make a writing station
A great gift to give your child on their birthday or any other special occasion is writing materials. Create a fun writing station with scrap paper and pens, pencils, crayons, and markers. This will encourage your child to draw pictures of stories, draft a journal entry, or write about the stories and subjects they’re reading.
- Teach rhymes and songs
Nursery rhymes and songs play a crucial role in language and literacy development because they help children develop an understanding of the patterns of language and understand the sounds that are the building blocks of words. Teaching and practising nursery rhymes can lay an essential foundation for literacy.
- Play word games
Mix in a variety of word-focused board games to help engage your child to learn new words. Games like Scrabble can help teach vocabulary and spelling. Your child will not even realise they’re learning because they’re having so much fun!
- Create a cosy reading space
The easiest way to get your child to love reading is to make it fun. Create cosy and interesting spaces to read in your home. It can be as simple as a cosy chair and blanket in a sunny corner, or a rug and pillows on the floor. Choose a place where there is enough room for you and your child to sit together.
- Practice storytelling
An easy way to encourage literacy at home is to inspire your child to tell you stories. This will help them gain a better understanding of the rhythm of narrative storytelling, which will help them as they grow and read more complex fiction.
Create a subtle learning environment at home
The environment you create at home introduces your little one to early literacy. From the day your child is born, they are trying to make sense of their surroundings. And as they grow and become more aware, they look to both you and their surroundings to develop their understanding of the world. Therefore, it makes sense that you would want to ensure that what your child see and hear is helping them to grow and develop at home.