What Are The Best Ways Of Supporting Early Childhood Language And Literacy

When promoting a debate about the best ways of supporting early childhood language and literacy, we should be taking into consideration that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach. To suit all learners’ needs, we must work from a perspective that acknowledges the diversity of children’s experiences, prior knowledge and growth and of course their interests. There is strong research that suggests and supports language and literacy development as an engaging and active process that must involve supportive adult interactions in an inviting and rich learning environment that can easily be related to real-life purposes (Schiller, 2011). Children will thrive and learn best if a trusted, creative, and knowledgeable adult supports them through their

Children can gain these literacy and language skills through music and in turn build their confidence and knowledge. Oral language is an active and interactive process, and when joined with music, it becomes a natural way for children to be exposed to rich vocabulary in an enjoyable and engaging way. Young children have the natural ability to recognise sound and rhythm within music, without any previous knowledge (Woodall, 2012). Whilst singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, children can pick up on the sounds of the tune, and even the rhythm of the song. Music definitely plays an essential role in language and literacy development, and singing songs should become part of a routine day for all children, from in the womb to all ages. Music provides us with pleasure, excitement, and meaningful messages and targets our vocabularies. When singing along, or simply listening to an adult sing a song, children can begin to experiment with grammatical rules and various rhyming patterns in a songs text (Woodall, 2012). “Itsy Bitsy Spider” rhymes, and has a distinct rhythm that children can follow along through clapping, stomping or

It is said that through songs a child’s memory can be significantly improved, especially if the same songs are sung on a daily basis, which in turn will increase their aural discrimination (Yopp, 2002). Music and songs have the ability to focus the mind on the sounds that are being produced and promote learning through an interactive process, whether it is singing one-on-one, in small groups or larger groups. Children must become aware of their auditory skills, and this can be achieved through singing and finger play. Children will focus on their listening skills that are key in singing, language and expressive movement and of course beneficial to their reading and writing (Yopp, 2002). Music has always been a way for children to remember stories and learn about the world around them. Just singing the songs and reciting the chants and rhymes with children provides a great foundation for literacy development, but if we really want to capitalize on the full range of benefits in using songs, chants and rhymes as a springboard to literacy, we need to purposefully use them as learning