Famous children’s author, Dr. Seuss once said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” This embodies, very succinctly, the key reason why children should be encouraged to develop early literacy skills in preschool.
Fostering a love of reading provides young readers with the tools to discover and explore the world around them in a much wider and more meaningful way. This in turn allows them to acquire essential knowledge which will help them throughout their lives.
MindChamps Enrichment Academy, through the MindChamps Reading programme, employs several essential strategies to inculcate the love of reading in children, starting in their preschool years. Drawing on our wealth of experience and research, here are 8 ways to develop early literacy skills in preschool.
Reading Aloud
Encouraging children to read by themselves, in addition to being read to, is an effective way to develop literacy. Allowing them to read aloud, and with expressions, lets them actively engage with the written word and develop an enjoyment of the process. This, in turn, motivates them to read more, of their own volition.
Building Word Comprehension
Cultivating reading skills is not merely about phonics and being able to pronounce written words, it is also about developing comprehension and enhancing critical thinking.
At MindChamps, your child will be motivated to ponder on the meaning of the words and sentences they read, which inspires a love of reading, as they become immersed in the various stories and narratives curated by our team of experts.
Using Immersive Reading Strategies
Immersive reading activities that incorporate theatre and drama allow children to ‘experience’ the written word, in turn cultivating higher order thinking skills and narrative intelligence. As your children engage deeper with the text, delving into motivations, dramatising scenarios and experiencing stories through the lens of the characters, they develop critical thinking, acquire an awareness of narrative structure, and learn how to synthesise new information and apply it creatively.
Learning Phonics Through Songs
Children who are beginning to read will benefit greatly from phonics classes, which involves learning how to associate each symbol with its corresponding sounds. MindChamps employs a proprietary “Say & Sing Phonics” method, which uses the magic of songs to help children remember how each letter is pronounced, and how they can be combined to form meaningful words.
Furthermore, they will be taught phonemic awareness, which is the ability to hear individual letters in a word. This helps them write more effectively, by improving their recognition of alphabetical sounds to guess the spelling of words.
Exposure to Diverse Texts
Exposure to a wide array of written words in different forms and on different topics not only widens your child’s vocabulary, but also exposes them to new ideas and concepts. Their natural curiosity will be stimulated through reading, and your child can then discover topics and genres they enjoy, which will encourage them to be lifelong readers, taking initiatives to read independently.
Improving Language Structure and Fluency
Part of early literacy development is the ability to construct sentences in a meaningful manner. Through interactive activities like poems, songs, stories and conversations, your child will be able to pick up important grammar rules and language structures which will further enhance their communication skills.
In Summary
Engaging and enjoyable literacy activities greatly enhance children’s learning experiences. At MindChamps, our unique 3-Mind Approach integrates neuroscience, child psychology, and theatre principles to develop literacy skills effectively and holistically. Contact your nearest MindChamps Enrichment Centre to discover how our programmes can best support your child’s literacy journey.