Will my child be ready? Language and Literacy Development

The next in our series of posts based on the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress, Language and Literacy Development, explores how children acquire language and literacy. Previously, we’ve discussed Social and Emotional Development and Approaches to Learning.

As children grow during their preschool years, they increasingly use language to share how they are feeling, to interact with others, and to communicate their own thoughts and needs. Children do this both with spoken and written language. The Language and Literacy Development domain has four components: Listening, Speaking, Emergent Reading, and Emergent Writing. As usual, we’ll briefly look at each component. The indicators within the components are taken directly from the ECIPs manual.

Listening
Children are developing normally in listening skills when they:

1. Understand non-verbal and verbal cues
2. Listen with understanding to stories, directions, and conversations
3. Follow directions that involved a two or three-step sequence of actions
4. Listen to and recognize different sounds in rhymes and familiar words

Families can help facilitate children’s development in listening by talking to their children regularly every day in a way that is equal to their level of understanding and encouraging children to respond. Also, introducing children to rhymes and songs will help children to gain broader interest in words and sounds.

Teachers and caregivers can assist children in developing this component by modeling language for children to use including questions and facial expressions, listening and responding to children as they communicate both verbally and non-verbally, and by providing opportunities for children to interact with adults.


Speaking
Children are progressing in this area when they:

1. Communicate needs, wants, or thoughts through non-verbal gestures, actions, expressions, and/or words
2. Communicate information using home language and/or English
3. Speak clearly enough to be understood in home language and/or English
4. Use language for a variety of purposes
5. Use increasingly complex and varied vocabulary and language
6. Initiate, ask questions, and respond in conversation with others

Families can support children in developing their speaking skills by talking with them every day and encouraging children to discuss and respond including adding to stories that are read to them.

Teachers and caregivers can encourage children in developing their speaking skills by responding to children when they attempt to communicate verbally or non-verbally, supporting children in communicating in their home language using interpreters when necessary, and talking with children on a variety of subjects demonstrating the various uses of language.


Emergent Reading
Preschool children show progress in this component when they:

1. Initiate stories and respond to stories told or read aloud
2. Represent stories to or read aloud through various media or during play
3. Guess what will happen next in a story using pictures as a guide
4. Retell information from a story
5. Show beginning understanding of concepts about print
6. Recognize and name some letters of the alphabet, especially those in own name
7. Begin to associate sounds with words or letters

Families can facilitate children in their emergent reading by making book reading special for their children and reading often for both information and pleasure. Parents can engage children in the reading by talking about the story and asking them to predict what will happen next. And finally, visit a library often to select books to read as well as point out reading materials around the home.

Teachers and caregivers can support children in emergent reading by providing a variety of books and story-making materials such as flannel-board sets and puppets. Teachers and caregivers can talk about words and what they mean, help children to understand the sequences in books and stories (such as beginning, middle and end), and give opportunities for children to repeat favorite rhymes and word-play.


Emergent Writing
Children are progressing normally in this area when they:

1. Understand that writing is a way of communicating
2. Use scribbles, shapes, pictures, or dictation to represent thoughts or ideas
3. Engage in writing using letter-like symbols to make letters or words
4. Begin to copy or write own name

Families can encourage children in their emergent writing by providing writing materials at home (paper, pencils, crayons, markers, etc) and supporting children in their scribbles and "pretend" writing. Families can also engage children in everyday writing activities such as making a grocery list or writing a card or letter.

Teachers and caregivers can support children in this area by creating a "literary-rich" environment by having writing materials in many areas of the classroom and proving lots of opportunity for children to draw and paint. Teachers and caregivers can also encourage children in their attempts to copy or write letters and their name.


For all components of this domain, community members and policy makers can support children and families by providing opportunities for literacy-related events where families can participate together such as story hours and book fairs, encourage adults (both families and volunteers) to spend more time talking and engaging with young children, support and promote libraries and community awareness on the importance of reading with young children.


I think it’s important to be clear that children do not all need to be fully reading and writing when they start kindergarten. But, showing progress and interest in language and literacy is a key component to future learning success.


What about you? Do you have any tips or tricks for encouraging children in their language and literacy development?