Learning to write and read begins well before the first year of elementary school. So how do we introduce children to this essential learning process? How do you help them develop an interest in writing and, above all, when do you start? These are questions that I have been asked as an educator and that I have been asking myself for a long time.
Let's start at the beginning and understand together what is the awakening to writing and reading (AWR); AWR is the child's awareness of reading and writing. For example, understanding that you have to turn the pages to read a story, that you have to read the words from left to right, that we can communicate with a pencil and a piece of paper, holding the pencil etc. These are all skills and knowledge that develop naturally and are things that they understand long before they learn to write and read their name.
When does my child start learning to read and write?
The age 0 to 6 years is a favorable period for these new skills. Yes, as strange as it may sound, reading a story to a baby, singing a nursery rhyme, and even holding a book in our hands is something that stimulates young children to this new knowledge. Whether it's holding a book in your hands and turning the pages to gradually realize that the pictures have meaning is an essential learning experience to then understand that the written word has meaning too. Scribbling on a sheet of paper is also to be encouraged so that the child can understand that they can communicate with the help of small drawings and words.
Helping children with their new knowledge between 0 and 6 years
We can help the child in a simple and effective way. We can first use rhymes during routine moments, add in our evening routine a small moment of reading a story, give them easy access to pencils and supports so that they can color when they want, add to the toy bins word labels with pictures, make memory games... These are activities and things that we can put in place from a young age. Even if the child will not be able to read the words or associate the picture with the written word instantly, they will be present when they are ready to acquire new notions and it will be easier and faster for them since they will have been introduced to it early.
What I suggest to ease your shoulders
Here is what I suggest today so that the child can be initiated easily and with interest. Children love to color and draw. Sometimes it's just scribbles that don't seem to have any particular meaning. So, quickly, at this age the sheets of paper seem to accumulate quickly and we are not sure which one to keep. That's when we're there for you. We have created educational washable drawings to help you support the development of writing and reading in a semi-autonomous way. The child will learn while having fun and can start over as many times as they want.
You will
- Save money and paper
- Have more time for yourself
- Reduce your amount of waste
- Have educational activities adapted for your child
- Stimulate the different stages of your child's development in a simple way