Mini Module 7: The Tools of Language and Literacy in Early Childhood

By Andrea Givens, Program Specialist, Puget Sound ESD Head Start

Literacy is a functional part of daily life. Throughout the day, we use literacy to communicate, obtain information and document ideas. Through literacy activities such as drawing pictures, using maps, singing songs, performing dances, viewing performances, reading print (books, magazines, newspapers and catalogues), and even deciphering mathematical formulas, we gain a broader understanding of the world we live in.

Every culture across the globe engages in similar and different literacy practices. Some cultures use reading, others use dance. Some use body painting, still others use talking stories or reading the stars, or other environmental events to teach about the world. We see literacy used in popular culture via video games, the Internet, billboards, street signs and television shows.

Technology and literacy go hand-in-hand. E-magazines, Web sites, text messaging, instant messaging, e-mail and other forms of technology-based communication and information sharing and gathering require reading and writing skills if they are to be used effectively.

Why is it important to think about literacy with infants and toddlers?

The tools of language and literacy are everything a young child uses to help “read” the world. Language and literacy are two primary mental tools, and most young children quickly learn to use these tools to listen, watch, use words and gestures, and draw and scribble to explore their world. Children learn through repetition, and they want to repeat activities that they enjoy and that they associate with positive interactions. When children feel safe and secure, it’s easier for them to learn and retain information.

Literacy is for all children. Adults have a responsibility to expose all children to literacy experiences, including children with and without disabilities; infants and toddlers; and children who are just beginning to learn English.

Here’s what we know about the tools of language and literacy in early childhood:

• There are tools for language and literacy in every environment.
• Tools are real. Children and adults can see, touch, taste, smell, hear and move them.
• When children interact with these tools, they are developing their whole body. They are learning about themselves, their feelings and others. They are learning how to communicate, think, move and do.
• Tools build children’s communication skills. Children learn ways to interact with others and ways to describe their world.
• Adults help children use the tools. When adults and children are engaged in respectful relationships in which adults observe children play and expand on their play, adults are supporting the use of the tools of language and literacy.

Use this format to think about the tools for language and literacy to guide your intentional planning:

Now take this short true/false quiz on the material you just read: