By Maureen Byfield and June Blythe-Livingston, Contributors
IT IS heartening to note that an increasing number of parents and caregivers are recognising the crucial role they play in children's literacy development.
The home is the first learning environment for children, and parents can do a great deal to enhance their children's literacy development. Parents are significant others in the lives of children and as such, they assume the role of models. It therefore means if parents model positive literacy behaviours their children are likely to pattern these behaviours. It is also important that parents and guardians encourage positive literacy behaviours in children.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTION TO PROMOTE CHILDREN'S LITERACY DEVELOPMENT
Introduce your children to the library and help them in the selection of books. If they are already members of the library, make time to accompany them on visits.
Take your children to the supermarket and point out labels to them. Ask them to collect specific items for the trolley. Get them to read the ingredients in the products and the directions for using these products.
Get them familiar with environmental prints. For example, Do Not Enter and Silence Zone. Over time, and with support, they will learn the words.
ESTABLISH A FAMILY READING TIME
Be a reading model. Children should see you reading and enjoying the reading experience. Members of the family can take turns reading to siblings. As you read to them they will be exposed to concepts as well as how words are used and arranged in texts. Reading aloud encourages the development of good listening skills.
Create reading opportunities out of the household tasks in which children engage, for example, following recipes and fetching various items.
Send them to the shop to make purchases and encourage them to read the list rather than give it to the shopkeeper.
Share your feelings about what you read. Call the children's attention to exciting quotes from the book you are reading. Chances are they may want you to read parts of the book to them, or they may want to read parts of, or the whole book for themselves (depending on the difficulty level of the text).
ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO READ TO YOU OFTEN
Let them retell stories. Retelling assures you that they have read the text and that they understand what was read. We want reading to be fun for the children so we must not always insist that they answer questions.
As your children read let them tell about, write about, or draw their favourite parts. If you cannot decode their writing let them tell you what they have written (or drawn). What is important, especially at the early stage, is the message that is being conveyed.
Your children should observe you writing for authentic purposes, for example, filing out forms, writing messages, writing directions, writing shopping list, etc.
BE A SPEECH MODEL WITHIN THE HOME
Talk to your children. Discuss family and other issues. Engage them in meaningful discussions, for example, how to spend the family's income.
A questioning mind is critical to the development of problem solving skills. Encourage your children to ask questions and be prepared to give answers to their queries. Sometimes they need clarification about news in items they hear on the television, radio, or within the community, etc.
PUNISHMENT
Reading must not be used as a means of punishment. Often when infractions occur children are sent to their rooms to take up their books and read. As a result the children may associate reading with punishment.
Parents are encouraged to make time to engage their children in literacy activities. Get them to read, write, ask questions, discuss, listen, think, criticise, analyse, report, explore. These activities/skills can be introduced at any age. You only need to alter them to suit the age, mental ability, and interest of the children.
Have fun assisting your children.
