Once your child starts playschool, they will begin to see the importance of letters, stories and the alphabet.
Your child’s abilities to write and read begins at home with you giving them the tools to read and write from the time they begin to play in their toddler years.
And yes, that does mean crayons on the walls and paint smeared on the floor, unfortunately... but look at the bigger picture and encourage your child to love reading and writing. It will benefit them in the long-run, we promise.
From a young age, your kids should have room to be creative and to have parents be creative with them by reading to them and encouraging a love of words, reading and writing.
It begins with an inquisitive little one who wants to learn how to read stories to themselves. By simply reading to your child regularly you are instigating a relationship with books for your children and showing them a world beyond their wildest dreams. They’ll love spending time with you in the evening for bedtime stories and your child will begin to understand how stories are told.
Playing games with your child including singing silly songs that may have you on the end of your tether by the end of the day are a good way to get your child thinking and learning. Avoid handing over tech devices at too young an age as this will stimulate your kids and they will prefer to use devices if given the chance.
The best way is to allow your child to find a love for stories and enjoy reading with you while understanding they will learn how to read themselves properly in the future. Writing begins at home too by simply handing your child crayons and pencils and watching how they use them.
When your child begins to learn to read in school, you should continue that learning at home by using picture books, flashcards and get an alphabet poster too. Spend a little time each day working on the letters and sounds while reading to your child regularly to continuously, encourage a love of reading. Stories can be read together to not only teach your child about reading and stories but to spend quality time together. It is a wonderful way to connect with your child.
Learning to write can be tricky but most kids love learning how to write their name and even before your nipper starts school you should work on writing skills. Show your child how to hold a pencil or crayon and let your child begin to pick up the pencil and work on their scribbles to start with. Let your child trace over words you write on a sheet and encourage them to play games like ‘join the dots’ to work on their coordination.
Keep working on it and spend time on their homework together to get it right. Your child will enjoy the process but only if you make an effort to show them why they should love reading and learning to write for themselves.