Turning the pages of childhood: Reading

Consider the following scenarios.   A three-year-old pretends to be a teacher and “reads” to a group of friends at childcare. The audience sits in front of the chair watching intently as the book is held out for them to see as the words are spoken.   An eight-year-old reads a number of books to her two-year-old sister at bedtime. The older sister announces that she is tired and that her younger sister will need to read to herself. The two-year-old confidently "reads" aloud the book she has been given.   Those who regularly call for a return to basics to address the falling literacy standards fail to acknowledge the full picture (i.e., the aspect demonstrated by the scenarios above is usually overlooked).   The process of learning to read and write commences long before a child's first day at school. The skill of reading and writing does not officially begin at a particular age. It develops as children gain experience with language and print and learn the purposes for reading and writing. Furthermore, it is enhanced at home as children are read picture books, as they observe parents take telephone messages and write shopping lists, read many kinds of environmental print, and draw or write in their own way in an attempt to copy names and letters.   Children's early experiences with language and print assist them to develop what is called a "literacy set", In other words, they are ready to learn the more formal aspects of reading and writing. Items in this set include:  

• Enjoys listening to books and stories
• Is able to listen to them for a reasonable length of time
• Asks to be read books and stories
• Has an extensive repetitive experience with a wide range of favourite books and stories
• Is aware of print (e.g. ,signs labels names)
• 'Reads' favourite stories in a reading like way, approximating book language
• Knows story comes from print and not from pictures Knows front, back and spine of a book
• Has a small sight vocabulary

It is clear that the child who has developed these attributes is likely to be receptive to the strategies of reading and writing which will be presented to them at school. It is also equally clear that a child who is read to frequently, especially if the books have been carefully chosen, has a higher probability of developing these attributes.

Books which have a repetitive or culminative story line are especially suitable. For example, the story "Are You My Mother?" has a repetitive story line which a child readily picks up on and can, by looking at the accompanying picture clue, predict the appropriate word. Likewise, the story of "The Hungry Caterpillar" is such that children can, once again by referring to the pictures, add the next part of the story. Favourite stories requested again and again are committed to memory and are used by children to approximate reading. I am sure you can all relate a tale of a very young child who knows which knobs/buttons turn on the television, video and computer. It is all a matter of familiarity, and so it is with reading. The next time you hear the debate on the best way to "teach" children to read and write, consider your role. Will your child go to school well prepared or be caught unawares? Once again, you can make the difference. Take the time to turn the pages of a book with your child.