Parental involvement in children’s education from an early age has a significant effect on educational achievement, and continues to do so into adolescence and adulthood. (Feinstein & Symons, 1999)

* Many studies have shown that students who love learning and are successful in school are exposed to reading from a young age. * It promotes longer attention span, which is an important skill for children to be able to concentrate. * It builds listening skills and imagination. * They learn early that reading is fun and not a chore, and it will become an enjoyable habit. * They begin to develop an understanding of how books are structured, that words represent sounds and concepts, words are read from left to write (in English), and stories continue when you turn the page.

To ensure we are giving our children the best possible experience, literacy has been made a priority in our Improvement plan. We aim to; Maximise positive language and literacy opportunities in order to improve learning experiences for children And we will do this by; Ensuring our children experience a curriculum that is rich in good language and literacy experiences Promote partnerships with parents to achieve shared vision on language and literacy development Reading is not taught in isolation but encompasses writing and listening & talking, each one supporting the other. Writing Reading Listening & talking

Developing Literacy - is acquiring skills in listening, talking, reading, writing, communicating and becoming aware of print and its full potential. Children will learn to reflect and explain thinking. Developing literacy in the early years is bound up with trying to behave like a reader and writer. Playing and investigating are very significant activities for young children. They are more likely to investigate text if the text is genuine. They are more likely to mark make if they have no fear of failure. They are more likely to listen and communicate if they have been listened to and communicated with.

* Talk about what we see in the pictures. * Recalling a story, event and discuss characters * Active listening during story telling session. * Speaking confidently to their friends * Is able to ask and answer questions. * We also do lots of rhymes, rhyming and songs, sending home words of popular songs.

* Children have opportunities in free play to explore different writing and mark making materials and resources, including different markers, crayons, pencils, chalk, charcoal, thick & thin paint brushes and different materials to write on * Non permanent writing can be made on the wipe boards, gloop, flour, paint, the sand, shaving foam etc. * Outside children can use sticks in the sand, chalks, paint brushes and use squeezy bottles with water to make marks * Other resources to explore and support writing and letter recognition include, gel numbers, magnetic letters, letter moulds, stones with letters on, in mark making, sand, water etc * Computers – children can see text here too and mark make on the Smart board.

* Talk about author and title * Model how to hold a book, turn pages * Start to develop a sense of how stories are structured, how stories begin and end * Use puppets and props to tell stories * Get the children to do actions / act out bits of stories * Join in repeating refrains (eg “who’s been sitting in my chair”)

* Predict what will happen next, how it will end. * We cover a range of stories across the year some relating to themes and interests – also non fiction. * Morning routine – children find their name to develop name recognition / to begin to realise marks have meaning. * Names on pegs and trays * Books available in free play– children often ‘read’ to each other.

Enjoy reading as a family way of life and read together every day!

Reading isn't just about words, books or story telling. We read logos and pictorial signs everyday. It is important to teach children this and point out familiar signs/logos to them and they will begin reading them on their own. This can be done anywhere.

Let your child choose Let your child pick out their own books. Letting your child read what interests them is one way that reading becomes fun. Read with fun in your voice Use your face, body, and voice to make reading fun. Use different voices for different characters. Know when to stop If your child loses interest or has trouble paying attention, just put the book away for a while. A few minutes of reading is ok. Don't continue reading if your child is not enjoying it. With practice, your child will be able to sit and listen for a longer time. Talk about the pictures Point to the pages and talk about the pictures in the book. Ask your child to look at the pictures for clues to what the story is about. Show your child the words As you read the book, run your finger along the bottom of the words. Soon your child will realise it is the words that are read and not the pictures. Singing and Nursery Rhymes Rhyming words are useful for children to notice patterns in words. Take time at home to sing and chant Nursery Rhymes. Make up your own silly songs and rhymes. Playing Games Play word games with rhyme, initial sounds or blending/ segmenting( e.g. Play “I spy something that rhymes with…..”, “..begins with….”. or make silly rhymes with child’s name

“Your child does not ask of your ability or inability, they only asks of your availability.” Mary Kay Ash (