|
Annalisa Barbieri answers a parent's
query on the pros and cons of teaching young children to read
at home in an article in the Guardian. Following is an extract.
I would very gently suggest you leave him [three-year-old]
to learn to read and write at school. We start formal education
earlier in this country than anywhere else in the world, yet
studies show there is no advantage to it and that by the age
of eight or nine, no matter how early children started, they
are all at a similar level. If anything, some of those who
are taught too early can struggle and be put off learning
all together. He will have the rest of his life to read and
write; let him learn through play for as long as possible.
He may be making noises that he wants to read: so let him!
Give him a book and watch as he mimics the way you've read
it to him. He won't be reading in the usual sense, but he
will be learning, and having fun.
There is heaps of research on early learning you can read
at www.literacytrust.org.uk,
which has lots of reports regarding whether children should
learn through play in the early years, or through a more formal
curriculum. Liz Attenborough, who is the manager of Talk To
Your Baby, says: "The hardest thing to do is listen, give
children silence to explore their own thinking; it does take
time but it's enormously beneficial. Being at home should
be a rehearsal for the real thing [learning to read and write],
not the real thing. You shouldn't be trying to teach them
anything, just introducing them to things."
But there is lots you can do to help your son along the road
to reading and writing. Let's take books first. Reading aloud
with your child 'teaches' him to engage in story-telling,
it gets him to listen and follow a story. These are crucial
steps towards most life skills but are vital for reading.
Talk about the story with him afterwards, as learning how
to say words will help him get control over his tongue and
soft palate. I can't give you recommendations for books because
it's all about what your son likes, and all children are different.
It's easy in these days of ordering books on the Internet
not to go to libraries anymore but this is a perfect place
to let your child handle books - you may be surprised by what
he's attracted to, as it may not be what you would have chosen
for him.
Things such as painting help with the fine motor skills needed,
later on, for learning to write. There's a lovely film study
from Hungary that shows children doing big swirly movements
with their hands, then ever-decreasing movements until, put
a pen in their hand and they could 'write'. Painting involves
lots of big expressive movements that many of us don't connect
as being the forerunners to writing, and many parents get
squeamish at the thought of letting their child run riot with
paints.
.Toys that involve threading really help with fine motor
skills, which in turn will help with writing. You don't need
to spend any money here, some big buttons or cotton reels
and thick string will do the trick..Also look at the puzzles
with knobs on the pieces, as these not only help with fundamental
movement skills but also with hand-eye coordination.
(Guardian, 16.09.06)
Use Birth to Three Matters to guide
literacy learning, says Jennie Lindon.
One of the ten principles underpinning Birth to Three Matters
is 'Learning is a shared process and children learn most effectively
when, with the support of a knowledgeable and trusted adult,
they are actively involved and interested'. This principle
applies across all early learning, but it is particularly
relevant when it comes to planning for early literacy. [.]
Examples of how babies and very young children develop literacy
skills and how practitioners can support them appear in the
Birth to Three Matters video, as well as on the laminated
cards, so let's consider some of them.
Communicating
Young children only make sense of the written form of their
language(s) against a rich understanding of spoken language.
Babies can build a find repertoire of sound-making and simple
'conversational' skills. But they gain these skills only through
frequent, happy interaction with familiar adults - not by
pressing buttons to release the battery-powered voice of a
complete stranger.
- A natural flow of communication may happen during spontaneous
play.
- Give-and-take conversations can evolve around planned
resources.
- Toddlers and young children do not restrict their speaking
and listening to play experiences...Personal care routines
build communicative relationships with easy opportunities
for chat.
Rhythm
All young children need to tune into the sounds of their language(s).
However, English is an especially difficult language, because
there is no easy set of rules about how a sound or sound blend
is expressed in written letters. Young speakers and listeners
of English need generous time to gain a rich spoken vocabulary
and be confident in saying and hearing sounds.
Nursery rhymes, songs and chants help young children manage
the flow of their words and tune into sound patterns. The
best singing times are often spontaneous and any group time
needs to be limited to a small number of children.Repetition
enables children to recall a song or rhyme and soon to start
the singing themselves. The same kind of happy repetition
arises with stories that read almost like a poem, with a flow
of words and a recurring phrase.
Storytelling
Young children who are enthusiastic about books are well set
up to be keen to learn to read for themselves, when they are
truly ready. Babies and toddlers need experience with different
kinds of books, an interested adult and only a very few other
children.
- The video section on the Skilful Communicator [in Birth
to Three Matters] features a very young child and a baby
showing real enjoyment of a book and the conversation that
unfolds around the storyline and illustrations. The practitioner
is their childminder, yet there is no suggestion that this
kind of close contact could only happen in a family home.
On the contrary, the clear message is that group settings
need to plan for this kind of snuggling-in time to be easily
available on request.
- Whatever the type of setting, toddlers should have favourite
books that they can take from a basket or low shelf when
they choose. They can have learned how a book works, turning
the pages and even echoing some of the storyline or what
a familiar adult usually says to each picture or photo.
- Young children can realise through experience that some
books give you information about big trucks, going shopping,
spiders - anything that interests this young child.
Appropriate early literacy experiences provide young children
with reasons to want to read and write. Older children often
want to write down stories, but this task requires more than
knowing what letters to form. Children need to feel confident
in how to create a story - what is going to happen and who
the characters are.
Suggestions within the four cards supporting A Skilful Communicator
remind practitioners of the importance of storymaking and
storytelling. Props, such as storysacks, enable children to
play out a story. Open-ended pretend play resources give scope
for imaginative narratives to unfold.
(Extracted from an article by Jennie Lindon,
Nursery World, 27.07.06)
Put children on the path to literacy with
enjoyable experiences free from pressure, advises Jennie Lindon.
There is a great deal of concern across the UK about older
children who have not learned to read, or whose skills in
this area are shaky. Within the family for whom you work,
parents may be anxious, perhaps asking when you will start
even their youngest children on 'proper reading and writing'.
For example, Ellie is a nanny facing an uphill task in the
family she joined this month. Three-year-old Jessica and six-year-old
Sam have been under pressure to follow very structured activities
that claim to promote literacy. Sam is able to read but shows
no independent interest in books. Jessica is willing to complete
handwriting 'homework' from her nursery, but has no understanding
of what she has 'written'.
Five doors away in the same road, Leanna works for a more
relaxed household. Heather and Gary, four-year-old twins,
are enthusiastic about story books, but they have also learned
that some books tell them information. There is plenty of
paper with pencils and crayons, and the children regularly
inform Leanna 'I've done my shopping list' or dictate what
they want her to write on their drawings. Leanna's support
was welcome to the twins' mother, since she had felt out of
step with some other local families.
Supportive adults need to understand that genuine and secure
literacy rests upon firm foundations in oral communication.
There is evidence that anxious adults, including some early
years professionals, have lost sight of the importance of
speaking and listening skills. English is an especially complicated
language for spelling and grammar. Children do need an approach
through phonics, when they are poised to decode the written
language. The key word is 'when'. An appropriate age to begin
a structured approach to literacy is certainly no earlier
than five years old. Some children really are not ready until
closer to six years and many other European countries do not
start formal literacy instruction until this later age.
However, literacy starts from the earliest days. Young English
speakers need a secure knowledge basis built on being confident
talkers and creators of stories. Children benefit from developing
a large vocabulary of words they choose to use in spontaneous
conversation and in voicing their thoughts aloud. Well-informed
nannies can provide experiences to generate plenty of reasons
for young children later to want to learn reading and writing
- and for themselves, not solely to please parents and teachers.
- Sam can read, but as his nanny, Ellie, can observe all
too clearly, he does not feel as if he is a reader. Jessica
has been drilled in the technical skills of handwriting,
but she already sees writing as a task she only completes
for adults. Sam and Jessica have been put under such pressure
at home and in their nursery and school that they are neither
keen talkers nor listeners with adults.
- In contrast, Heather and Gary understand how books work
and express personal opinions to their nanny, Leanna, about
story characters and plots. Their weekly selection from
the library also includes non-fiction books. Heather and
Gary both distinguish their writing-style marks from their
drawings. They have progressed from meaningful mark-making
into emergent writing.
Your professional role will be crucial for ensuring the children
in your care have rich and appropriate early literacy experiences.
Be ready to explain to your employers what you are doing day
by day and how ordinary conversation and relaxed play in the
developmentally right approach for early literacy, with experiences
like the following.
Chatting matters
Allow time for relaxed conversation, just talking and listening
to each other, by which young children build the skills to
organise and express their thoughts. Later writing is only
partly about the ability to write letters and struggle through
the English spelling maze. Children need plenty of ideas for
content, and the motivation to talk their plans out, before
putting pencil to paper.
- Show you are interested in the content of young children's
spontaneous language. Those who experience respectful attention
are willing to listen in their turn. They learn about the
social basis for full language and manage the give-and-take
of proper conversation - very different from answering a
stream of questions from a directive adult.
- Remind parents how important it is for children to be
keen talkers. You can all hear the sounds of children's
thinking represented by their spoken language. Children
describe events they wish to recount to you, share interesting
nuggets of information or use their words to plan ahead
or recall 'what you promised we'd do today'. All these uses
of spoken language are also potential reasons for the child
to want to write something down.
Give time for stories
You can show how you enjoy different kinds of stories and
include information books to tell about and picture the world.
- Make sure that books are easily available for children
to access. They may like a special time in the day when
you always share a story or two. But ensure that you respond
to spontaneous requests to share a book at other times as
well.
- Keep reading out loud to children as long as they enjoy
the experience. Children of school age, who are learning
to read, will find it hard work. It is crucial that reading
and books do not become narrowed down just to their literacy
book from school. You can select a longer book (perhaps
one for older fluent readers) and read it aloud in episodes.
- Be an effective role model to children and let them see
you use your reading and writing skills in everyday life.
You can make a diary note of a teatime visit later in the
week, or keep a shopping list updated. Let children see
and hear you read instructions or signs out loud.
Pretend, sing and draw
Many simple play experiences support the skills of early literacy,
with no need for adults to persuade children to get involved.
- Give children time, space and generous props for pretend
play. When young children stretch their imaginative muscles,
they also create narratives through words and actions. A
happy experience of pretend play links with rich sources
from story books, so that slightly older children are able
to construct a narrative and are motivated to want to write
out the story themselves.
- Value the time you give to singing songs and nursery rhymes.
This experience enables young children to practise the sounds
of their own language(s), in an enjoyable and repetitive
way. Be ready to join in any playful use of language, simply
larking about with words and sounds. English is a difficult
language because the same sound or sound blend is created
in different words by different letters. Young children
need to build rich experiences of sounds and 'sounds like.'.
- Let children draw, paint and play with all kinds of mark-making.
Handwriting is more than learning to create the shapes of
letters. Children need plenty of relaxed practice in deliberate
mark-making on paper and also in playdough, wet sand or
earth. They will benefit from creating and re-creating their
own swirls, lines and repeated patterns.
The best early literacy experiences are simple and perhaps
the most important item of equipment is a well-informed adult.
You may need to stand firm, professionally, to support children
in the face of outside pressures. You will see developmentally
ill-informed messages from commercial suppliers keen to sell
electronic learning pads and toys covered with letters and
numbers, even on play items intended for under-twos. Unfortunately,
some books and magazine articles suggest cluttering up daily
life with single written letters or numbers. This advice often
comes under a label of 'getting children ready for school'.
Sadly, it can push out time for relaxed conversation and genuinely
useful early literacy experiences. Any written letters, words
or numbers should mean something in context. If they do not
communicate a message to you, then single letters on a mobile
or toy bus are meaningless for young children.
Finding out more
- Attenborough, Liz and Fahey, Rachel, 2005. 'Why do many
young children lack basic language skills?' Discussion paper
for National Literacy Trust (www.talktoyourbaby.org.uk)
- Lindon, Jennie 2005. Understanding child development:
linking theory and practice (Hodder Arnold)
(Jennie Lindon, Professional Nanny, January
2006)
The best start in life you can give a
child is a book and the time to read it with them.
What's the best way you can stimulate your child's imagination
and whet their appetite for learning? Playing classical music?
Buying them expensive toys? No. Forget all the fads and the
latest headline-grabbing research, the best start you can
give your child in life is to read them a book.
It has been established since the 1930s when Dr Bernardo
carried out his pioneering research that preschool children
who are regularly read to do better throughout their lives
than those who aren't. Since then, study after study has verified
the initial thesis that the sooner you start reading to children
the better.
Don't worry that they don't seem to be taking anything in.
They will be. "In the early days it's important to get them
used to learning the rhythms and patterns that go with reading,"
says jenny Tiler, publishing director of Usborne books, which
specialises in infants' and children's books. "Once you've
engaged them, and introduced the idea of turning pages and
following stories, you have them primed to learn more."
The secret of your child's future well-being is in your local
shop or library. All you need to do is to get a book and spend
at least 10 minutes a day reading to your child and talking
to them. It's important you get feedback from them. Take their
dummies out so that they are in a position to respond, if
not to ask questions then at least to coo. Failing that, ask
them questions. Social interaction is just as important as
getting the child to interpret those images and squiggles.
"It's no good learning to decode information if you don't
know what you're decoding," says Tiler. A book is a great
communication tool too, as it helps mother (or father or babysitter)
to interact with the baby.
Books are being ignored in favour of TV. Many even use TV
as a babysitter. The problem with TV is that it creates a
passive environment. A survey of primary school teachers with
long service records shows that most say children's vocabularies
aren't a patch on those of school entrants 20 years ago. This
is because pre-school kids spend more time passively watching
TV, and less time interacting with their parents over a book.
Interaction with books is very important for small babies.
That's why baby books are designed to engage babies in more
tactile experiences, with surfaces to scratch and feel, and
all kinds of doors to open on a page, or levers to pull.
Today's lack of literacy affects all sections of society.
One in five children now enters secondary school unable to
read properly. And many middleclass parents are too busy with
their careers to spend time reading to the children. It is
often an activity they hope their nannies might carry out.
The problem with children's books is that they're not fashionable
enough. Sadly, people seem more impressed by the idea that
hi-tech gadgets, like computers or DVD players, are going
to raise their kids IQs. Perhaps books should be marketed
as portable, interactive communication tools.
(Babies, a supplement from Mediaplanet
distributed in The Times, 17.10.05)
Learning to communicate is the most
important and complex skill toddlers undertake, so they need
to be encouraged to talk in much the same way as they are
encouraged to walk.
Talking to children from birth is
the best way to help them develop good language skills. But
when asked why they don't talk much to their young children,
parents and carers often give the same responses: "I don't
know what to say," "I don't want to look a fool" and "My child
won't understand me."
Sharing books is a good way of getting
over these fears. Talking about a book and its pictures gives
parents and carers something to say. There is a clear purpose
to the activity, and it soon becomes obvious that toddlers
understand when they anticipate the funny part and giggle
as the page is turned.
Communication is the basis of a parent's
relationship with their child and sharing books is a great
way to trigger interaction that is both natural and fun. Not
only will it help young children learn to talk - it also helps
parents build a wonderful relationship with their child.
Many of the words that make-up a
child's early vocabulary are directly attributable to books,
particularly those that use rhyme, repetition and contain
funny or surprising parts. There are not many monkeys and
lions in the streets of our cities, but there are plenty to
be found in picture books like Dear Zoo and Where's
Spot?
Sharing books also improves concentration.
In a pilot study, Bookstart found that babies who'd had frequent
contact with books had longer attention spans as well as better
listening skills when they got to playgroup at the age of
two or three.
Libraries are the best source of
books for children and are more family-friendly now than ever
before thanks to Bookstart activities and a growth of Sure
Start schemes focused on getting parents into libraries. Many
hold special events for babies and toddlers, such as storytelling
sessions which help to dispel parent's views of libraries
as silent, forbidding places. Babies can join their local
library from birth and most libraries do not fine their youngest
members for overdue books or damage.
Young children need adequate language
skills in order to express themselves, listen, socialise,
think and learn. By having the necessary oral language and
communication skills children not only gain access to the
curriculum but become active members of the community and,
eventually, adult society.
From Read On, the magazine
of the National Reading Campaign, Winter 2004.
There used to be a slightly scary advert on the TV where
a baby spoke like a toddler and a toddler like a young child,
all in the name of plugging a building society. Chances are
it didn't succeed in getting us to remember the building society,
but it did highlight the fact that there's a certain order
in which children learn how to communicate. They learn to
vocalise and make linguistic sounds first, before graduating
to words, short phrases and, finally, sentences later on.
All parents know this, but what they might not know is just
how early a child starts developing its ability to learn,
and how important it is to talk to and interact with a baby
- well before the first word is uttered.
Throughout the first three years of life, as a child receives
loving care and stimulation, neural connections or 'pathways'
are forming between its brain cells. Warm, responsive parents
who cuddle, talk and read to their children and provide challenging
learning experiences promote the formation of new, useful
connections - more brain power, in other words.
But if the child is in an inadequately stimulating environment,
or if the stimulation is mostly disorgnized or chaotic, fewer
beneficial neural pathways will develop. The child will be
less prepared to respond appropriately to other people, or
cope with changing life circumstances.
Talking books
Parents may worry what to talk about, but it really doesn't
matter, says Liz Attenborough, co-ordinator of the National
Literacy Trust's Talk to Your Baby campaign. "The important
thing is to get parents to talk - and for them to give the
child a chance to talk back," she says.
The NLT's campaign was launched as a result of teachers saying
that children were arriving at reception class with a low
level of communication skills. Some had never even had a one-to-one
conversation. "You can't just stick a child in front of a
telly and think they'll pick up sounds from there," says Liz.
"They have to have a chance to respond and to interact."
Sitting down with a child and telling stories or reading
to them gives them that chance - in spades. After all, years
before they actually learn to read, children enjoy looking
at the pictures in books, hearing the cadence of the words
and spending the time cuddled up with a parent, friend or
relative. It's great for helping parent and child to bond,
too.
And if children are encouraged to develop oral language and
communication skills in this way, it's not just easier for
them to gain access to the curriculum later on, but they'll
find it easier to become active members of the community -
and, eventually, adult society - as well.
This year, with Sure Start funding, every baby in England
will get a bag from Bookstart (run by Booktrust, a charity
that promotes books and reading). Inside there'll be two board
books, a table mat with nursery rhymes, and tips on when and
how to read to babies.
"The parent is a child's most important teacher," says Rosemary
Clarke, head of Bookstart. "And getting them to read to a
child, little and often, is the best start we can give them.
It helps with the child's concentration as well as their language
skills." In a pilot study, Bookstart found that babies who'd
had frequent contact with books had longer attention spans
and better listening skills when they got to playgroup at
the age of two or three.
Janet Cooper is the Principal Speech and Language Therapist
for the Sure Start local programme in North Staffordshire.
She's found that inviting parents along to storytelling sessions
encourages them to read to their children. "If parents aren't
doing it, they often don't know where to start," says Janet.
"From watching us, they learn about intonation, where to pause,
having eye contact with the child and smiling. Often they
ask to borrow the book they've seen read because they know
how to read it."
The best source of books for children is the local library,
but many parents think of libraries as silent, forbidding
places. There's an easy way to get round that, though. Says
Janet: "We deliberately hold storytelling sessions in the
library to dispel those kind of views."
Added to which, libraries are more child-friendly now than
ever before. This year, in response to the growth of Sure
Start schemes focused on getting parents into libraries, a
new job has been created at the Chartered Institute of Library
and Information Professionals - an Early Years Library Development
Manager. "
It's not just about having the right books for young children,
it's about creating the right environment," says Natasha Innocent,
who holds the job. "In Durham, parents were asked what would
make their local library more family-friendly. The answers
that came back were very practical, and included such things
as breast-feeding chairs and high chairs. Quite simply, it's
all about getting libraries to adapt to the needs of parents
with young children."
Natasha is working to get Early Years concerns onto the agenda
of every chief librarian. "This issue has often been left
up to the children's department, but it needs to be more integrated
than that," she says. "After all, no under-five is going to
be coming to the library without a parent." No - but if they're
introduced to books young enough, kids will be pestering their
parents to take them there as soon as they learn to talk.
Taken from Sure Start magazine, Spring 2004
Children need an enthusiastic mediator if they are to
develop a love for books. Opal Dunn explains how to help under-threes
build a solid foundation for literacy.
Parents and carers often feel overwhelmed by the size of
the 'books for babies' sections in shops and don't know what
to select. Choosing is difficult as most books are more suitable
for walking, talking toddlers than for babbling babies.
Selecting books
Babies and toddlers need books to fulfil their potential
and satisfy their innate desire to find out about their world.
As boys' brains develop differently from girls' their interests
differ; boys tend to prefer information books.
The books published include:
- Storybooks with rhyming or narrative text
- Information books
- Rhyme/song books itnroducing one rhyme/song or a selection
- Novelty books with interactive features - flap up, full
tag
Photographs or coloured artwork are used as illustrations.
Research on what younger babies see is ongoing, but it is
evident that contrasts, and photographs of familiar faces
and objects, are easily recognised during this period. Babies
of five to six months giggle when they recognise themselves
in the mirror and pore over homemade photograph books of their
family and pets.
When selecting books, look at the illustrations carefully
as this is what conveys meaning to babies and toddlers, and
what makes them remember a book. If the text appears too complicated
they may appreciate the rhythm, but understanding will depend
on the way the adult talks about the pictures.
Learning about books
How adults treat books provides a role model for
toddlers, who are capable of selecting a book and putting
it away. Older babies should learn that books:
- Are kept in special places - book corners or shelves accessible
even to crawlers
- Should be treated carefully as pages tear and need to
be closed before being put away
- Have a beginning and end, and a front cover that tells
us about the book
- Have pages that need to be turned to find out more
With experience they soon realise that the text is for the
adult to read and the picture is for information. Make a book
of children's photographs together and they will soon appreciate
the book-making process and have more respect for books as
a result.
Introducing books
Adults act as a mediator between a picture book and a
child. Children rarely pick up a book and read it without
some introduction to it.
Without a carefully prepared initial presentation, a baby
or toddler can soon lose interest in a book. Each time adults
reread a book, they naturally introduce more information and
language. As a book becomes more familiar with rereading,
the adult's role diminishes as the child begins to take over.
Eventually the book becomes so familiar that the baby or toddler
is ready to browse alone.
Reading aloud
Reading aloud may include:
- Reading the text as it is printed
- Reading the main text, leaving descriptive language for
later readings
- Talking about the story, content and pictures
- Paraphrasing all or part of the text
- Linking the text to the child's experiences, and transferring
words or phrases to real-life experiences
Rereading a book is important as, apart from helping to consolidate
brain connections, children gain confidence from revisiting
the familiar. They are also ready to have impressions extended
through related activities.
Book browsing
As older babies and toddlers take on their own personal
relationship with a book they need time to browse, turning
the pages when they are reading and often talking to themselves
as they read. Browsing is a form of child-led play and, like
all forms of play, it consolidates and deepens an experience.
It also develops the use of language as it is often a rehearsal
for passing on information through story-telling. If a book
experience is to be complete there must be time for browsing.
This form of play needs to be encouraged if children are to
become book lovers.
Book corners
Sharing books should be a different experience from reading
at bedtime, when you are trying to help children to wind down
and prepare them for sleep. A book corner should be somewhere
special and comfortable where children can snuggle up to the
adult and feel good. It should be where familiar books are
kept, and where babies and toddlers can browse. Parents need
to be encouraged to create the same sort of special reading
place at home. If parents' literacy skills are poor and they
are hesitant about reading aloud to their children, encourage
them to talk about the pictures. In time they may develop
the confidence to read all of the text.
Developing visual literacy
Young children rely on a visual code for understanding and
most of their first memories are visual. Children need more
time than adults to focus on pictures, but get quicker as
their skills develop. Watch a baby or toddler look at a new
picture:
- Eyes skim from side to side, and from top to bottom
- Eyes return to scan something not taken in
- Eyes review globally
- Head turns towards the adult to indicate that they are
finished and ready to move on
Wait for this 'ready-to-turn the page' signal. Children see
pictures through their own eyes, involving their own experiences,
emotions and feelings, and adults should be careful not to
impose their ways of 'seeing'. Talk about pictures, describing
things to extend their vocabularly. Any questions should be
open-ended, giving children time to reflect and talk about
the way they see or feel things.
Most picture books are illustrated by artists, which gives
very young children an opportunity to come into contact with
many pieces of artwork at one time. Research has shown that
these encounters have a life-long influence on creativity
and imagination.
Reading about feelings
Reading stories helps children to:
- Recognise and define themselves
- Recognise and help to manage personal emotions and bad
behaviour
- Share emotions confidently with a sympathetic adult
- Reflect on book experiences and relate them to their own
life, even transferring words or phrases to real-life situations
- Explore fear and risk-taking in a situation that poses
no real danger as the experience is contained
Humour
Laughter is good for us; it changes attitudes and eases
tensions. Humour - the gap between what you expect and what
actually happens - can make us laugh, and doing something
that makes children laugh can diffuse negative situations.
Babies and toddlers have to learn to laugh and learn about
humour, but do so quickly if they are given the opportunity.
Young children often pick this up through the illustrations.
Older toddlers begin to create humour themselves, including
playing with sounds.
Summary
Our identities are made up of memories and everybook experience
adds something new. From birth to the age of three, books
are free of the later pressures of beginning to read and write,
so children have time to enjoy them while unconsciously building
solid foundations for literacy. Children need books but to
love them they need to share them with enthusiastic mediators.
Taken from 'Page by page', Opal Dunn, Nursery World,
2 September 2004.
Introduction
The Boots Books for Babies scheme, in the five years since its inception in 1998, has delivered 42,791 bags of books and literacy related materials to babies in the City of Nottingham and County of Nottinghamshire. The project is a public-private partnership between the Library Services of Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council, the county's Health Trusts and The Boots Company. The packs are delivered by Health Visitors and the scheme is hosted by local libraries. The principle aim of the Boots Books for Babies scheme is to develop a love of books in young children and encourage a lifetime of reading by encouraging parents to share books with their children from nine months onwards. Additional aims include highlighting the benefits of early learning; encouraging library use and raising literacy levels of both children and adults. It was also anticipated that the scheme would contribute to cross-sector objectives relating to life-long learning, neighbourhood renewal and social cohesion.
Research Objectives
The aim of the research was to evaluate the social impact of the Boots Books for Babies scheme in relation to the specific project aims as expressed by the City and County Councils, the Library and Health Services and the Sponsor. The significant quantitative outputs of Boots Books for Babies are already known – over 90% of all babies born within the City of Nottingham and County of Nottinghamshire have received a Boots Books for Babies pack over the last five years and there has been a significant increase in library membership and usage by babies and young children. The impact and value of early reading has been comprehensively established already through prior evaluation, both of this scheme and of Bookstart, so while this has been considered in this research, it was not central to the evaluation. The primary objective of this research was therefore to explore the wider social impact of the scheme, to establish what difference Boots Books for Babies has really made to people's lives, to children and parents as individuals, as families and as communities.
(Extracted from Head Start - The Social Impact of Books for Babies)
For more information and to download the full report visit
www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/
|
Top tips
- Children love to look at their favourite books again
and again - let them
- Be guided by your child as to whether or not they
are too tired to look at books. If tired, try again
later.
- Take books on journeys or when you are going to
be in a waiting room - always have one in your bag
- Young children get bored quickly so little and often
is best
- Involve others in your family in sharing books with
little ones
|
Concerns that children are starting school unable to communicate
highlight the importance of early learning. Liz Attenborough
of the National Literacy Trust advises parents on how to foster
early communication skills.
Enjoying books is the most important part of learning to
read, and any moment given to sharing books is time well spent.
Let your child help you choose the books you take home from
the library, and don't be surprised to see the same familiar
characters being chosen every time.
As your child grows and develops, more words and phrases
are understood, and sharing books gets to be more and more
fun for both of you. You and your child will soon find favourite
bits that you want to look at or go over again. The most familiar
word will be 'Again'. More skill at concentrating allows you
to introduce longer stories, and as the story becomes familiar
you will find that you can sometimes leave out key words and
they will supply the words for you.
Be available
Story tapes and tapes of songs are another good way to
introduce words and stories. Listening is a key skill in learning
language and learning to read. Make sure that your child can
concentrate on the stories you are reading by switching off
any background noise that might be distracting, such as the
TV or radio.
The first five years are the prime time for learning language,
and most of your child's language learning will come from
the adults around them. You will be surprised at how much
of your child's early vocabulary is directly attributable
to the books that you read. There are not many monkeys and
lions in our towns and cities, but there are plenty to meet
in picture books.
The more time we spend talking with our children, the more
we will enable them to develop the listening, concentration
and talking skills they need. Sharing books is a great way
to spark those discussions.
Learning to turn the pages and noticing the title of favourite
books are good ways for young children to learn how books
work. With familiar stories and simple word books you might
want to run your finger along the words as you also point
to the picture. You are helping to make the connection between
the words we hear and the words we can see.
Books with rhymes and lots of repetition are especially valuable,
as they encourage young children to play around with language.
Again, leave out words at the end of the lines, and encourage
participation. This is how they learn to remember words, and
remember what they mean.
Be imaginative
Mix the kinds of books that you introduce - sometimes
a crisp, clear one picture, one word per page book will give
you lots to talk about, and at other times you will both want
a story, or a lovely long rhyme. If you have been talking
about animals, for example, a colourful non-fiction book with
clear pictures of individual animals will provide as much
entertainment as a funny story.
You might find that your child finds something in a book's
pictures that you haven't seen yourself - a dog hiding behind
a tree, for example, that's not really part of the story.
Maybe the two of you can decide what the dog is doing there,
and what its name might be.
Books are especially useful ways for your child to raise
anything that might be worrying them. That same picture of
a dog might get the response 'Don't like dogs', and allow
you to talk about that fear.
You will have learned already to add a 'woof' when you meet
a dog in a book, and your child will be doing the same. You
may notice that your child gets to know the pattern of familiar
books, and learns to anticipate what's coming before you turn
the page. You might hear a 'woof' just before the dog has
actually appeared - a clear indication that your child is
learning just how to anticipate and also learning how books
work.
Be encouraging
Books really are for sharing, so encourage friends and
relatives to read with your children. Young children especially
enjoy being read to by older siblings or cousins.
Reading is all around us, and you can show your child that
you read all the time. As you go shopping you see the shop
names and you read from your list. Going out to the park you
can point to street signs, bus destinations and even words
that you come across that begin with the same letter as your
child's name.
Once your child begins formal education, keep on reading
aloud to them even if they have started to read themselves.
Don't be surprised if they want to go back to look at books
they enjoyed when they were much younger - they will love
to be back in a familiar story that they feel comfortable
with. Take your lead from the school as to how to encourage
their reading skills. Remember, it's not a race but a long
and pleasurable journey that will have long lasting benefits
for your child.
Taken from nhs Mother and Child, Spring 2003.
|
80px.gif)
.gif)
