Schedule TourDid you grow up loving to read? What is your earliest literacy memory? Was it as joyful as eating an ice cream cone with sprinkles?
The ABC’s of Literacy Love
What is literacy?
ABC’s? Yes, but so much more than the alphabet. Learning the alphabet without literacy rich experiences is like eating the cone with no ice cream. The cone alone leaves much to be desired. Add the ice cream and the cone becomes irresistible. The same emptiness can be said of learning the alphabet without rich playful literacy experiences connected to them.
The teachers, at KIDSPACE, know how to create a literacy rich environment and provide developmentally appropriate literacy provocations and activities. They also know the importance of linking literacy to the children’s areas of interest. There are five key components of literacy. You’ll know them by their bold print.
Developing strong vocabulary and language skills is the foundation to strong reading abilities. These skills are developed through activities such as rich literary read-alouds, conversations, songs, intentional activities, areas of interest, poetry, and rhymes.
Phonological awareness for the preschool child begins with listening and progresses onto rhyming words, alliterations, etc. Developing strong listening skills support phonological awareness progressions. Teaching phonemic awareness skills without first working on listening skills is like trying to ride a bike without knowing how to pedal. The process is slowed down and can be extremely difficult to understand.
At KIDSPACE Child Enrichment Center we provide many daily experiences for children to begin to appreciate and understand the meaning of print (written language) and its difference from oral language. The classroom environment is full of a variety of texts and opportunities for children to do their own writing. With the opportunity to use and see print in so many ways help children begin to realize the vastness and importance of the written language.
Although most preschoolers are not yet reading, comprehension is still a vital skill to develop. At KIDSPACE, children build comprehension skills through read-aloud times, following oral directions, problem solving with peers and engaging in conversations. Creating activities relevant to the children also enhance comprehension.
And finally, the cone, the foundation of literacy – letters and words. Reciting the alphabet and recognizing letters is essential to reading. There are many ways to teach letter recognition and letter sounds. At KIDSPACE, we begin with the names of the students because names are important to them. Using children’s names to teach the alphabet creates a desire to learn more about letters, the sounds attached to each letter, and how they can be grouped together to make words. We also weave alphabetic encounters throughout the day. The learning is joyful, intrinsic, and contagious. Repetition, combined with joyful multi-sensory literacy experiences, create strong reading neuro-pathways in the brain.
Please note: All children are wired differently, some may delight in the alphabet at quite an early age, while others show no interest until elementary school. The key to both is immerse them in enjoyable literacy experiences so when they are “reading ready” they have pleasurable experiences and memories to guide their way.
What families say about our program.
Join our community today!
Please see our Tuition Guide for updated Center hours, based on class enrollment. Call us or click below to schedule a tour today!
Schedule TourStill not sure? Browse our curriculums