Features

Learning & Development: Literacy - Play on words

Our approach to reading can make a real difference to how
under-threes engage, says Charlotte Goddard

When it comes to sharing books with the under-threes, the book itself is less important than the way you use it -but some books are more suitable than others. Sharing books with very young children is not about teaching them letters; it is an opportunity for interaction and communication between child and early years practitioner, and a chance to share a snuggle while reading.

Opal Dunn, author and literacy specialist, describes the process of sharing a book with a child as one where the adult is mediating between the child and the book, enabling the child to enjoy and engage with the pictures and text. 'Positive feeling depend on how much and how well the adult mediates the book,' she says.

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