The functionality of oral language development and emergent literacy in Early Childhood Education surrounds around rich-linguistic experiences that slowly constructs a level of fluency in the English language. Many studies are evidence that early language development plays a vital role in later word reading, spelling, comprehension and writing skills. Studies reveal that children that attend preschool exhibit greater preparedness for literacy skills at a primary school compared to those not attending preschool education (Taiwo & Tyolo, 2002). So, what are some effective methods some educators and parents adopt that catapult language learning better than others?

Although expecting a one-year-old child to read storybooks perfectly seems, odd. As children mimic adults while holding storybooks, they develop a connection between books and real-life contexts. Continuous reading with young ones allows them to absorb sentence structures, patterns of storytelling, and an understanding that printed words carry meaning. Therefore, old techniques are certainly gold for developing phonemic awareness, print awareness, narration and imaginative thinking. For example, during a read-aloud reading session, the adult moves their pointer finger from left to right, unknowingly helping a child understand where to start reading a sentence in English from and where to end. 

Educators make the best out of storytelling sessions through:

• Annunciating words and emphasizing the sound of each letter.
• Pointing on words as you read.
• Asking reflective questions about illustrations/pictures.

Parents support emergent literacy development by:

• Allocating time daily for bedtime reading.
• Provide a range of options for storybooks with repetitive and rhythmic language.
• Engage in storytelling in real-life conversations with your children.

Play is one of the most fun and effective ways of supporting oral language development. Engaging in real conversations led by children’s interest and attempts for conversation motivates them to speak. Through meaningful conversations children learn the natural flow of speaking, two-way communication and active listening. Oral language learning goals can be met through structured play, where the adult has a specific goal such as, vocabulary advancement and offers a fun play activity with intention (Jennifer M. Zosh, Caroline Gaudreau, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, 2022). Shared sustained thinking in another way of enhancing spoken language through problem-solving. Educators and parents converse back and forth during play to explore different ideas orally. Hence, combining structured play with shared sustained thinking allows educators to maximize the growth of a child’s conversational skills. 

Educators and Parents take time to converse with children during playtime by:

• Responding to everything a child says with phrases above or just at their comprehension level.
• Use songs, games and chants with sounds like, “I spy a thing which begins with N”.
• Giving a clear goal for interactive play. E.g., “Build a block tower”.
• Repeat back improper sentences with correct grammatical sentences.
• Responding with positive reinforcement when displayed with correct language use.
• Ask questions for problem solving. E.g., “If I took away your square blocks, how would you make sure this tower stays up?”

Early writing not only involves writing with a mere pen and pencil but, development of other areas. Such as, fine motor skills, print awareness and purpose of written texts. Children start by drawing random marks that represent meaning to them. Followed by imitating written texts through wavy scribbles, producing letter-like shapes, inventing own spellings through phonetic knowledge and finally, reaching the conventional writing stage. Artistic activities are an incredible source of supporting fine motor development through variety of mediums. As well as, to provide emergent writing experiences for symbolic thinking. 

Educators encourage early writing through:

• Art corners with a variety of art mediums such as, crayons, paint brushes, origami papers and non-conventional tools like, whisks or sponges.
• Encourage drawings to convey conceptual understanding after storytelling.
• Draw different types of lines such as, zigzag, circles or straight lines.

Parents incorporate art activities in daily routine by: 

• Use nature material to create letter collages.
• Make use of flour trace letters on a tray or Play-Doh to create letter-like shapes.
• Incorporate kitchen utensils for painting on canvas or papers.
• Paste large-sized papers on walls for children to draw on independently.

Emergent literacy isn’t just about reading a book, giving speeches or rote memorization of letters rather, it is transformed through meaningful interactions, play, and fun language rich experiences. 

References

Jennifer M. Zosh, Caroline Gaudreau, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek. (2022). The power of playful learning in the early childhood setting. NAEYC. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/summer2022/power-playful-learning

Taiwo, A. A., & Tyolo, J. B. (2002). The effect of pre-school education on academic performance in primary school: a case study of grade one pupils in Botswana. International Journal of Educational Development, 22(2), 169–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0738-0593(01)00020-7

‌Written by Nimra Nadeem