Literacy is one of the seven areas of the early years foundation stage and is used to develop a child's ability read and write. Children show this in range of ways including understanding simple sentences, familiarity with phonics, demonstrating understanding of what they have read, the ability to write spoken sounds and words and even simple sentences.
Below you will find a range of practical articles and expert features that cover literacy to help you develop these skills and overcome challenges you might encounter. For more information on the EYFS you can download latest version of the statutory framework here.
Encourage children to use their senses to describe the animals and the noises they make in the book Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? and observe how this helps them to develop their phonological awareness and early reading.
Continuing her series on building the foundations for literacy, Annette Rawstrone looks at ways to focus on the joy of books without creating pressure.
Laying the foundations for reading is about more than helping children to begin to match and recognise letters. It's all about showing that books are fun, are for sharing and are full of ways to make play more exciting.
The books of classic author Kes Gray provide a fantastic springboard for devising rhyming games which help children to identify vowels and CVC words.
It's important that all young children returning to school develop vocabulary through language, talk and day-to-day experiences, to put their feelings into words and share experiences. Jane Harley outlines practical strategies.
Judith Harries’ series on classic picture books over the last 12 months has built into a fantastic resource for practitioners and parents, focusing on a range of authors and their individual styles.
Following on from his bestselling book The Hug, author Eoin McLaughlin has written this genuine book for our time, talking to young children about social distancing. Find out more about how to share this book!
The theme for this year's Anti-Bullying Week in the UK is 'United against Bullying'. Check out Judith Harries' activity ideas to tie in and watch the video of the charity single put together by CBeebies' star Andy Day.
As a performance storyteller for children of all ages, Craig Jenkins had to shift his performances online when coronavirus struck. He tells Karen Hart how these sessions swiftly sold out and how this has fuelled his plans for the future.
There is a strong possibility that more parents will be home-schooling their children following lock-down which makes Anna Dusseau's handbook, reviewed here, timely publication.
Since introducing REAL in 2015, Tinsley Meadows Primary school in Sheffield has strengthened its events and home visits to support key aspects of early literacy. Teacher David Yates explains exactly how these work and explains why it is so important to maintain the momentum.
Alex Quigley explores the key issues underpinning his latest professional book, Closing the Reading Gap. In it he focuses on how to identify where children are struggling and provides practical strategies to support their reading progress.
Prepare for Easter by involving children in some simple baking activities that will also develop their maths and literacy skills.
