Literacy in the Early Years
Literacy
By the end of Reception, your child is expected to write a sentence using a capital letter and full stop. You can support this by providing them with writing materials at home, encouraging writing in their play (for example, writing potion recipes, shopping lists etc together) and practising correct letter formation (both lower case and capital letters).
Reading
It is important that your child experiences reading at home as regularly as possible. Please aim to read every day. Just ten minutes a day can have a tremendous impact. Reading every day exposes children to a variety of reading materials and vocabulary, and allows children to develop their story language. Nursery rhymes, rhyming stories and poems are also great as they allow children to experience rhyme and rhythm. By the end of Reception, children are expected to read simple phrases and sentences. You can support your child by:
- Setting aside a quiet and special time to read together every day
- Re-reading stories to build up their confidence, fluency and enjoyment
- Talking about what they have read and asking questions:
- What is happening in the picture?
- Where does the story take place?
- Who are the characters in the story?
- How is the character feeling?
- What do you think will happen next?
- What happened in the story?
- How does the story make you feel?
When your child receives their reading book, please write in their reading journal every time you hear them read. We really value your input, commenting on any aspects of reading that your child found tricky or really enjoyed! Your child will also visit the school library to choose books to take home to share with you.
Useful Links
The Book Trust - expert advice on supporting reading
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/tips-and-advice/reading-tips/
Oxford Owl - a wealth of resources across the curriculum
Phonics Play - resources to support phonics
https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
Cosmic Kids - yoga through story
