Getting It All Together
Think about how your child learned to speak. Did you teach your child one sound at a time and say ” I -want -a -snack – from – the – kitchen ?” Of course not! Language is learned through listening, speaking, and practicing in real situations.
Children learn to read and write when real life opportunities make learning fun and easy. In our classrooms, you may find the dramatic play area transformed into a restaurant, the bank, and office. Such play presents a variety of opportunities for language use.
Paper and pencils are always available in every center to encourage children to attempt to make meaningful communications to their friends. Boys and girls may choose to communicate through drawings or paintings, and strings of circles or lines that imitate I don’t writing, or even in words that you can read.
Just as your child learns language and contexts from you and other people around her, kids are learning the beginnings of reading and writing in meaningful context here in the classroom.
We grownups encourage children’s writing in many ways. ” I love getting notes from you ” or ” this will help me or to remember to buy more ice cream” or ” will you read to me what you wrote? ” This says we appreciate their efforts.