Supporting Your Child With
Literacy Development
By Ciara James.
What is literacy?
Once upon a time literacy was seen only as reading and
writing, this is not the case now, literacy is made up of
many different components. They include…
•Listening
•Speaking
•Reading
•Viewing
•Drawing
•Writing
Ways you can support your child
Speaking and Listening
 Give children opportunities to speak and listen.
 Encourage children to listen to sounds in words.
 Sing songs and say rhymes
 Talk about things that have happened in the past, are happening at the
moment and in the future.
 Listen, talk and show an interest in what they are saying.
 Play word games
 Ask and answer questions
Ways you can support your child
Drawing and Writing
 Help develop hand/eye coordination by doing puzzles, using play
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dough, painting, threading, tracing, etc.
Modelling how to hold a pencil, how to correctly form letters
Making books together, cutting out pictures, writing about photos or
favourite things, sharing your stories with others.
Practice writing their name
Writing shopping lists together
Writing notes to each other
Ways you can support your child
Reading and Viewing
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Play looking games to help children notice detail
Play games using imagination
Play board games
Play memory matching games
Point out and read signs
Read cereal boxes
Read cards, letters, catalogues together
Read and discuss favourite picture books
Discuss television commercials and programs
Encourage attempts
Establishing a reading routine
We see it as our job to teach your child to read and
foster a love of reading. Reading at home should
be an enjoyable experience where your child has
the opportunity to practice what they are learning
at school and to enjoy stories they are reading.
Books that go home should be easy for the child
to read. It is the teachers job to move students
reading levels when they have assessed them and
feel they are ready. Continue to read to your
child, children learn a lot from listening to
stories.
Establishing the Reading Routine
When
Set aside a certain time each day that is agreed
on by both you and your child.
10 – 20 minutes (use a timer)
After a snack and a play, and before a meal
preparation
After the dishes or just before bed
Before school in the morning
It is better to be in a regular routine, the
same each night or morning
Establishing the Reading Routine
Where
Find a comfortable place for you and your
child.
The child has the book in front of them
Without the distraction of other people,
T.V. or food
Ensure your child has some special time
alone with you.
Establishing The Reading Routine
Who
The person sharing the reading with the child
needs to get on well with the child and have an
understanding of the present abilities of the
child and the reading process.
This person can be…
mum, dad, grandparents, older brothers or sisters
a special friend/buddy/neighbour.
Establishing The Reading Routine
What
The selection of reading material will usually
be chosen from the class reading boxes but
may also come from:
Children’s books written and published at
school
School library or local library
Children’s favourite home books or comics
Magazines, family photo albums, poems,
cereal boxes
Anything the child wants to read!
Reading Time
Provide a Book Introduction
It’s very important for children to be
familiar with what it is they are reading.
So to tune them in on their new book it is
valuable to provide a rich book
introduction.
Demonstration of a Book Introduction
Reading Time
Praise your child
Encourage your child
Support your child
Ideas to help at home
Words
If students are having some difficulty reading
a particular word, there are many different
activities they can do to familiarise themselves
with the word.
Find it in the text, write it on a computer
Play word games (see handout)
Make work with play dough, paint it, cut
letters out of a magazine to make the word.
The possibilities are endless, try to be
imaginative.
Ideas to help at home
Letters
Use letter names and introduce the sounds of
letter
make an alphabet book, use letter names and
children draw a picture.
Play snap with upper and lower case letters.
Display letters around the home.
Letter formation of lowercase letters, starting at
the correct point and going in the correct
direction.
Question Time
Any of our early years teachers are
available if at any time you have questions
about supporting your child as a
beginning reader and writer. Enjoy this
time and these experiences with your
child.
Thankyou
Please take a handout of various things we
covered today.
Thankyou for your support.
The Literacy Team