Literacy for little learners? Really?

All children deserve to be instructed through literacy rich curriculum.

Literacy seems like such an academic term for the instruction of young children, but TLLeague believes literacy is the necessary foundation for every learner, young or old. By defining literacy as “a growing understanding of print and language as a foundation for reading and writing,” then YES! Young children must be exposed to literacy as an integral building block of their curriculum.

How to incorporate literacy in a lesson for our youngest learners? Best practices remind us young children engage in their environment through their senses. Therefore, literacy should be approached as part of daily hands on play in early childhood programs. No, not a YouTube video of the animated story, but a real, tangible book to be read by the teacher, but also “read” by children over, under, alone or in a group.

Pretty books lined up on a shelf, too high to reach, or read once and stored away in the teacher’s closet, do nothing to enhance literacy instruction. Through hands on experience with a book “children see and interact with print as they build an awareness of its functions and conventions.” Books need to be “eaten,” devoured by eyes, hands and minds. Do you want to see literacy weave its magic? Then create an environment of literacy learning. Fill the classroom with opportunities to engage in print- paper, pens, sponge letters and numbers and books, books, books. When you see a pocket of children surrounding a book, pointing out pictures or text, even reciting the story, you have offered the gift of literacy to the children- an embraceable teachable literacy moment when children are engaged and challenged to learn. Care to share a remarkable literacy moment?