{"id":5196,"date":"2020-05-14T00:57:39","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T16:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mindchamps.org\/au\/blog\/encouraging-literacy-is-as-easy-as-abc\/"},"modified":"2021-02-02T10:46:05","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T02:46:05","slug":"encouraging-literacy-is-as-easy-as-abc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/blog\/encouraging-literacy-is-as-easy-as-abc\/","title":{"rendered":"Encouraging Literacy is as Easy as ABC"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you hear the word literacy you probably imagine a book, a pen and a notepad. You\u2019re not alone \u2013 even the Oxford dictionary boasts the ability to read and write as the most common definition. However, according to <\/span>UNESCO<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>the answer to the question \u201cWhat are literacy skills?\u201d is much more complex. They consider<\/span> literacy <\/span>to include not <\/span>just the act of reading and writing but <\/span>also<\/span> extracting meaning from human communications \u2013 be they visual, written, spoken, sung or drawn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Literacy in all forms is crucial to enhancing how we connect with the world around us. By giving children the gift of literacy, we allow them the opportunities to think critically, imagine, play and be active global citizens. As Australia\u2019s literacy rates drop, we don\u2019t just face a future of children who shy away from books, but one where children are simply disconnected <\/span>from the world in general<\/span>. But never fear \u2013 increasing children\u2019s engagement with literacy <\/span>activities for preschoolers<\/span> really is as simple as A, B & C.<\/span><\/p>\n

A – Art<\/b><\/h2>\n

When children manipulate art supplies, they aren\u2019t just making a mess, they are creating meaningful masterpieces. Art allows children to express themselves in wholly unique ways and is entirely relative to their perception of the world. <\/span>That’s why it is a vital element of preschool literacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

When a child draws a tree or paints a rainbow, they give us a moment\u2019s glance into how they see the world. The more we ask question and encourage children to talk about their creations, the more they understand how to extract meaning and communicate about their world. <\/span>So, when you see your child drawing, show interest in their work and ask them to explain what they see and why.<\/span><\/p>\n

B – Books<\/b><\/h2>\n

Books, books, BOOKS! <\/span>Studies<\/span><\/a> show that even infants benefit from reading and storytelling, so it is never too early to start! As you read with them, children learn that when your voice gets LOUD, you\u2019re angry or when it shakes something sad has happened. <\/span>So, improving their literacy development also means improving their communication skills, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Making verbal connections to written stories also supports comprehension and encourages children to further engage with the story. Making observations like, \u201cthose blue shoes are the same as your blue shoes,\u201d will help children understand similarities and differences and teach them to attach meaning in a relatable context. <\/span>So, improving early childhood literacy will also improve the little ones’ comprehension of the world around them.<\/span><\/p>\n

C – Communicate<\/b><\/h2>\n

At its core, literacy is about communicating and understanding the meaning. Spoken language supports children\u2019s literacy development so the more we talk with children, the better their understanding is likely to be. <\/span>Although verbal communication is one of <\/span>the most important literary activities for toddlers, don\u2019t stop there<\/span>! Drawing pictures, mark-making in the sand and even<\/span> limited screen <\/span>time<\/span><\/a> can have huge benefits for children in their literacy success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Immersive literacy environments like those at<\/span> MindChamps Early Learning<\/span><\/a> build a love of reading and communicating. The right childcare centre will work with you and your child to achieve your goals <\/span>and improve language and literacy development in early childhood<\/span>. Book a visit to find out how MindChamps are transforming pre-school literacy for the better!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you hear the word literacy you probably imagine a book, a pen and a notepad. You\u2019re not alone \u2013 even the Oxford dictionary boasts the ability to read and write as the most common definition. However, according to UNESCO, the answer to the question \u201cWhat are literacy skills?\u201d is much more complex. They consider…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5197,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[884],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[1002,1000,191,943,999,521,428,1779,488,2494,2493,607,998,1001,2495,954,434,2380,567,959],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5196"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5196"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7774,"href":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5196\/revisions\/7774"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5196"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/franchise.mindchamps.org\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=5196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}