“Your words sow seeds in your children’s hearts” – Rebecca Eanes
Books! Reading a picture book with your child has endless benefits: close touch from a parent gets those feel-good endorphins flowing, loving childhood memories are created, literacy is expanded and together, you and your child can reflect upon concepts in a positive light. The importance of early literacy can never be overestimated. Reading to children each day from birth provides benefits including cognitive, social and emotional, language and comprehension and allows you to discover all corners of the globe right from your lap! Appreciating diverse cultures and exploring faraway lands is a journey you can discover together. After all, adults are never too old to learn too and you would be surprised what you can pick up in a children’s book!
Our current pick is “In My Heart” by Jo Witek to explore feelings and enhance your child’s social and emotional competence, by encouraging children to identify their emotions and regulate them as they gain
resilience. This book has such beautiful illustrations that really mimics the words, allowing your child to ‘see’ emotions and relate to how they are feeling. The literary language is calming, thought-provoking and stimulates your child’s imagination. Most importantly, this book does not label feelings as ‘bad’ or ‘good’, but instead invites your child to identify how they are feeling in a safe place – by your side! Welcoming your child’s emotions and guiding them to organise them in a safe way supports their social and emotional development.
At both our centres, we pride ourselves on our extensive book ranges and daily incorporate reading into our routines, educational program and practice. Whether it is reading to a small group, the entire class or in a one-on-one context, children are exposed to a wide range of literacy activities.
Looking for more information about early literacy?
Here are our ‘go-to’ links for more knowledge about early literacy:
- http://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/
- http://www.theholablog.com/myth-vs-fact-bilingual-language- development/
- https://cbca.org.au/notables-2018
- http://first5forever.org.au/