Parents often wonder what role they can play in a child’s Education.
As parents we can start with literacy, as this is one of the cornerstones of success in academic education. Literacy is the ability to find meaning in and from materials used for communication. This involves, reading, drawing, writing, speaking, singing and social interaction in spaces we frequent like social groups, churches, sports teams, cultural clubs etc. Children also learn skills though media interaction in the form of books, magazines, TV shows, computers, phones and advertisements.
Most of a child’s skills are developed in the home. Parents and caregiver are the first and most influential teachers, therefore, parent-child interactions is critical to developing strong literacy skills. Giving a child appropriate alphabet toys and games is not sufficient for phonic awareness. There has to be lively interaction and demonstration of words, letters, sounds and how they come together to create meaning and context.
Everyday activities that can promote literacy:
1. Arts and Crafts
- Create and send out your own greeting cards
- Put together a collage of leafs from surrounding trees and label them.
- Use paper to practice drawing, painting or cutting out letters, shapes and images
- Use different textures and surfaces like screens, sand, concrete, or wood to draw on or create letters. shapes and images.
2. Talking, Telling, Acting
- Share stories at the dinner table. Ask “how was your day?”
- Talk about words a child notices and ensure they understand what the word means. Discuss the letters, sound and pattern of the words. This will help in building word recognition, understanding, formation and context.
- Tell tales that you make up on the spot or randomly select a topic to discuss.
- Act out a scene from the day or an experience you’ve had.
3. Reading (books, signs)
- Read to your child from birth, don’t wait. Children become attuned to the sound and tones of language when they listen to a parents voice. They develop their hearing, listening skill.
- Look for and read signs together, practise letter recognition, sound and word patterns.
4. Listening (books, music)
- Listen to different types of music even in different languages. Don’t forget to dance while developing your child’s sense of hearing.
- Listen to books on tapes or CDs. Go to your local library and listen to an author’s reading or librarian’s story time.
5. Writing, making images.
- Create a book together about something that interest your child. This is showing children how their spoken words can become written work.
- Create a dinner menu with pictures of items your family can order.
6. Follow Instruction
- Help your child follow an instruction manual or a recipe for making something. Then enjoy it together.
- Remember literacy/education should not be a chore to a child. It should be engaging, interactive and fun. Be sure the experience is enjoyable, playful and encourages children’s active involvement. You’ll teach them that learning is fun.
Mala Mahabir
Executive Director,
The Pickering Reading Circle