To support your child, try:
This is the ability to notice and play with sounds in words.
Important early skills: Rhyming · Clapping syllables · Hearing beginning sounds · Recognising patterns in sounds.
Activities: Rhyming games · "I spy something that starts with /b/" · Clapping names into syllables · Singing repetitive songs.
Children need to understand how books and print work.
Teach: Books have a front/back and pages turn left to right · Print carries meaning · Words are made of letters.
Activities: Point to words as you read · Let children hold and explore books · Notice signs, labels, and packaging in daily life.
Children gradually learn: Letter names · Letter shapes · Letter sounds.
Activities: Magnetic letters · Alphabet puzzles · Sensory writing (sand, paint, shaving cream) · Matching games.
Focus on: A few letters at a time · Letters in the child's own name · Both uppercase and lowercase forms.
Reading aloud is one of the strongest supports for literacy development.
During reading: Pause and talk about pictures · Predict what might happen · Repeat favourite books · Encourage participation.
Good shared reading is interactive, not just reading the words straight through.
Children benefit when literacy feels part of everyday life.
Ideas: Accessible bookshelves · Labels around the room · Writing materials available for play · Regular library visits · Adults modelling reading and writing.
For pre-literacy, engagement matters more than drills.
Best practices: Follow the child's interests · Use movement and play · Celebrate attempts · Avoid turning literacy into constant testing.
