Children pick up basic literacy skills long before they start school – if they get the right stimulation. Learn what you should do and what to avoid.
Learning to read, write and spell can be much easier for children if you do the right activities with them when they are babies and toddlers. In fact, your child could even become a fluent reader before they start school.
Please see the descriptions below for more information about the articles in this section.
Early Literacy Skills.
In this article, you can find out about the important early literacy skills your child needs to develop before starting school. We also discuss how you can help your child develop these skills.
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Phonological Awareness. A Helpful Guide for Parents and Teachers
Definition, examples of phonological awareness skills, teaching strategies and activities, assessments and more…
Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic awareness explained in plain English. Examples of phonemic awareness skills and teaching tips…
How and When Does Phonological/Phonemic Awareness Develop?
The challenge of deciphering spoken language, how you can help and the stages of phonological awareness…
Phonological/Phonemic Awareness Activities for Parents and Teachers
A helpful guide for teaching phonological awareness at home or in school. Free phonological awareness worksheets, activities and games online.
Should I Teach My Toddler Letter Names?
Many people teach their preschool children letter names because they think this will help them learn to read more easily. However, not everyone agrees that teaching young kids letter names is beneficial. We discuss the arguments in this article.
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Should I Teach My Baby or Toddler to Read?
There’s some disagreement about the best age to teach kids to read. We look at the potential benefits of early reading instruction in this article.
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Arguments Against Early Reading Instruction
In this article, we assess some of the common arguments against early reading instruction.
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Why Children From Finland Can Read so Well
Finnish children don’t start school until they are 7-years-old, yet most of them go on to become great readers. Are other countries teaching reading before their children are ready for it, or are there other reasons for Finland’s outstanding literacy rates?
