It doesn’t matter if you are not a teacher or have any training in early education as there are a multitude of resources at your fingertips to help you ensure that your child goes to school with the best possible start. The most fundamental skill your child should learn is literacy awareness. Many children are still starting school without the proper foundational skills in English Language. This disparity with their peers puts them instantly behind in their learning development.
Where do I begin with language skills?
The best place to start is with individual letters and letter recognition. A child should start to identify and name letters from the earliest age possible. Helping your child learn the alphabet enables them to start building on their vocabulary, create new pathways for learning and encourages them to connect in new ways to the outside world. There are a few ways you can start this process that offer the greatest level of success.
- Flashcards – used to depict individual letters are particularly important. They can be easily downloaded or created in a word document to print off and laminate.
- Pictorial Flashcards – a card that depicts the letter and an everyday object that begins with that letter is the next stage in letter recognition.
- Songs – musically inclined people can always integrate singing, rhymes or music into the learning of letters. There are also numerous free clips and links online which are easily accessed.
Resources
- Look on YouTube for clips on polyphonics, phonics or just simply ABC’s.
- ‘Little Critter’ App has a great interactive way to help your child learn the alphabet song.
- Magnetic easels can be used in conjunction with magnetic plastic letters is a great way to combine arts and crafts with learning the alphabet and letters.
- Create a recording on your phone, iPad or computer of the two of you singing the alphabet song so that they can listen to it before bed or even in the car.
Once your child has shown the ability to easily recognise and name letters you can then be encouraged to move onto using the letters to form simple and everyday words.
How do I cement these language skills?
Identifying whole words in relation to their meaning is the next stage for a child which is an integral part of their foundation for understanding the world around them. Once the alphabet has been learnt they are able to recall it when they attempt more high-level language work. A great first place to start is their name and branch out using the letters that appear within it. This type of language work will assist them in the very early stages of reading.
- Create label cards to pin to common items in your home such as door, cupboard, window, fridge etc and say the names whilst pointing to the label. The repetition and visual cues will help them to associate the word with the object and eventually they won’t even need the visual to prompt them what the word refers to.
With a little help from the wealth of knowledge online you can help your child start their learning journey with confidence from a great head start.