Children like to play. Play engages children and makes learning fun. Children learn by ‘doing’ through play.
To create effective play based learning for literacy, teachers require a knowledge of the core skills upon which literacy and language learning are built. These skills normally develop in a sequence. The core skills required for literacy learning fall into 4 areas – motor, visual, phonemic awareness and oral language.
Targeted teaching and consolidation of skills does not have to happen at a desk. Teachers can plan play activities for the introduction, development and individual consolidation of the core skills. When a child has developed the prerequisite skills in all these areas, he will more easily be able to learn literacy. Instead of fragmented development, the child will have a solid core of skills on which to build. These skills form the base for the development of reading and writing.
▴ Oral language refers to the child’s ability to understand what is said to him as well as his ability to generate language.
▴Phonemic awareness refers to the identification and manipulation of sounds that underpins the development of sound/letter correspondence and the processes of reading and spelling.
▴Visual processing refers to the ability to understand and interpret what you see
▴ Motor skills relate to coordinated muscle movement
This booklet – filled with ideas for activities – will help you:
- understand the core skills required for literacy development
- understand the sequence of development of these skills
- plan activities to develop and consolidate these skills
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