How do children of different ages respond to literature and what is the best way to support them, asks Charlotte Goddard
Stories are suitable for all ages
Stories are suitable for all ages

Asource of frequent delight to practitioners is the way in which even babies will respond to a story being read from a book out loud, and how they will want to join in by making their own noises.

As Kay Rooks, an early literacy specialist based at Castle Kindergarten in Sunderland, testifies, props also come in handy during story time. ‘For example, with the book A Busy Day for Birdsby Lucy Cousins, we have little toy birds, and the babies sit holding them while they hear the story, joining in through babbling or even saying one of the words. That is the start of learning about reading.’

According to Development Matters, children between 22 and 36 months may repeat words or phrases from familiar stories, and fill in the missing word in a rhyme or story. Between 30 and 50 months they are likely to begin to be aware of the way that stories are structured, and suggest how the story might end.

Ms Rooks has observed how children begin to enjoy copying narrative and making up their own versions of the story – ‘doing the voices and using words and sentences from the story,’ she says.

A wide range of colourful, engaging and diverse books will support this – including cloth, lift-the-flap and sound books for the very young – along with classic picture books, traditional stories, fact and fiction books, and a variety of genres related to children’s own experiences. Dual-language books are also useful.

‘It is important that thought is given to matching books to children’s interests and, more importantly, their language level,’ says consultant and trainer Penny Tassoni, who recommends the websites of BookTrust and National Literacy Trust for developmentally appropriate recommendations.

Ms Rooks believes the best books have a subtext which engages and challenges children. ‘This can involve something like looking for a duck on every page, and this helps children look for detail and develop their ability to distinguish symbols,’ she says.

EMBEDDING LITERACY

Books and writing should be available throughout the setting. It is worth considering Perspex stands, which are flexible and can be used to display single books.

‘Have at least one non-fiction and one fiction book in every area. With sand play, for example, display pictures and words that are linked to sand, so when children are playing they can see the context of the words and begin to make links in their head,’ says Ms Rooks.

Strategically placed alphabet posters and name cards can also be effective. ‘Children begin to realise the sounds in the letters are sounds they hear in their name,’ says Ms Rooks. ‘You can have word mats with relevant words on like “cup” in the home corner. I find most children are inquisitive, and if words are there they ask about them when they are ready.’

Signage in different areas is key to supporting literacy, but Ms Tassoni advises regularly refreshing it so that children don’t see it as ‘wallpaper’.

She also says it is important that adults ensure that learning links letters to sounds. ‘There is no point having a sign on the door that says “door” if nobody asks the child “do you know what that says?”.’


BOOK HIDE-OUTS

A well-resourced, cosy and attractive reading corner is essential as a focus for enjoying books and communicating.

But Judith Twani, assistant head teacher at Lakenheath Primary School and associate curriculum consultant at Early Excellence, cautions against too many beanbags, cushions and soft toys for very young children – ‘because they then think it’s a soft play area rather than somewhere to relax and focus on books’.

A better ploy can be to theme the book corner around children’s interests, such as creating a superhero hide-out.

Early Years Resources offers book shelves in the shape of treehouses and ladybirds, while TTS sells an indoor reading den with bookcase storage and a sofa in the shape of a sailboat. Forward-facing book shelves, either single or double sided, display books by their covers.

Storage with wheels allows books to be moved to outdoor areas, and teepees, huts or sheds can be used to create outdoor reading dens.

GAMES AND PUZZLES

‘As young children grow, toys with increasing challenge are valuable, with simple chunky four-piece inset jigsaws moving on to nine-, 12- and 24-piece interlocking puzzles,’ says Kirsty Cunnington, early years programme manager at the National Literacy Trust.

‘Puzzles provide the hand-eye co-ordination practice needed later for handwriting, and develop memory skills which feed into later reading development. Plus, they provide an opportunity for an adult to chat to the child around the activity, so that new vocabulary is introduced.’

Children usually start to show awareness of rhyme and alliteration at 30 to 50 months, and recognise rhythm in spoken words. Between 40 and 60 months they may hear and say the initial sound in words, segment the sounds in simple words and blend them together, and link sounds to letters.

There are a range of resources designed to help children make connections between letters and sounds.

It is important to remember that before children recognise letters, they need to develop pre-literacy skills around listening and attention. Movement, singing and shaking musical instruments help with rhythm, pattern and intonation. ‘If children can’t differentiate between different sounds, they won’t be able to do so between different letters,’ says Kay Rooks, who suggests children listen to story CDs with headphones on to avoid distractions.

MARK-MAKING

Early mark-making is a sensory and physical experience for babies and toddlers.

‘We have lots of big sensory experiences for babies,’ says Ms Rooks. ‘We sit them in or beside gloop or paint, with big pieces of paper on the floor or wall to get that vertical and horizontal experience.’

Developing fine motor skills is crucial for the later development of handwriting skills.

At Field House Day Care Nursery in Stoke-on-Trent, manager Nikki Flintham suggests using resources to link fine motor skills to the ability to recognise and write letters.

‘These can include tweezers, which can be used to post pompoms into tubes, and small cars to drive along differently shaped roads as preparation for eventually forming letters,’ she says.

Between 30 and 50 months, children may start to give meaning to the marks they make as they draw, write and paint, and between 40 and 60 months they often start to use some clearly identifiable letters to communicate meaning, and begin to write their own name and some other words.

‘Making marks with chalk, pens or paint on paper and pavements, or even using sticks in mud, supports future writing skill,’ says National Literacy Trust’s Ms Cunnington. ‘Mark-making opportunities should be available in every area, indoors and outdoors.’

Whatever a setting uses to promote literacy, the important thing is that practitioners know why. ‘Ofsted will be asking why has this been chosen, and what are we hoping it is going to do for children?’ says Ms Tassoni.

‘At the end of the day, resources are the tool, but the most significant factor in a child’s learning is always the adult.’

CASE STUDY: Everton Nursery School and Family Centre

Amina Khan, early childhood educator at Everton Nursery School in Liverpool, created a library for the two-year-olds at her setting and their parents to develop an interest in books, as well as to bring on listening and attention skills. Three to fives also have a library. Children have their own A4 book bags, tagged with the setting logo and the child’s name.

A separate reading room is cosy and quiet, with rugs, teddy bears and a little chair and table. As well as a wide range of books, the room includes games that promote literacy.

‘We always ensure we have books set out for each area,’ says Ms Khan. ‘In our snack area we have books about food, and magazines from shops like Aldi. For our home area we have books about families and telephone books. We had a princess theme for the writing area recently so we had popular princess books, but also alternative versions.’

The setting also uses sound bags, small drawstring bags with each letter of the alphabet on the front. ‘We have filled them with items – for example, sound bag “s” has a star, snake, scarf and so on.’

Recommended resources

Tales Toolkit

https://talestoolkit.com/

Cosy Writing Shed

https://www.cosydirect.com/blackboard-writing-shed.html

Never Never Land puppets

https://bit.ly/2RV0wRU

Learning Resources Snap-n-Learn Rhyming Pups

https://bit.ly/3eFLhG8

Yellow Door pebbles

https://www.yellow-door.net/ranges/pebbles/

Books:

Stick Man’s First Words by Julia Donaldson (Alison Green Books)

FURTHER INFORMATION