Literacy is a fundamental ability in the development of children as it sets the stage for their academic success and effective communication throughout their life. But, what exactly is it?
Literacy is known as a set of skills related to reading and writing which include the ability to recognize and understand letters, words and texts, as well as the ability to express oneself in writing in a coherent and effective manner. Developing literacy from a young age is essential so that young children can gain the skills necessary to communicate effectively.
In today’s blog post, we will present some tips to help develop literacy. In addition, we’ll explain how education platforms can be your allies in the process.
Tips to develop literacy in children
Reinforcing literacy in the school environment is essential. Creating an adequate environment for the development of literacy can help children to develop skills that will be useful throughout the course of their life. Here are some helpful tips:
- Reading out loud. Dedicate time to reading out loud every day. Select a variety of interesting books and texts in order to hook student’s attention and encourage their love for reading.
- Establish a reading schedule. Implement a daily reading schedule into the school day. You can dedicate a specific time for group readings or allow time for individual reading.
- Encourage creative writing. Provide opportunities for younger students to write stories, diaries, or poetry. Stimulate their creativity and personal expression through writing.
- Promote reading comprehension. It’s not just about reading, but reading to comprehend. Plan activities that help children understand and analyze the text’s contents.
- Flexibility and patience. Take into account that each student has their own pace of development. Be patient and offer additional support to those who need it.
- Incorporate educational technology. Utilize applications and educational programs that have interactive and motivating activities.
How to use educational platforms to develop literacy in children
As technology becomes an integral part of our lives, educational platforms can be a very useful tool to stimulate literacy in children. These digital tools offer a wide range of resources from interactive lessons and personalized exercises to multimedia material and educational games. In addition, it facilitates the adoption of individual learning speeds, which is essential in order to address different necessities and learning styles of children.
The use of educational applications in the development of literacy:
- Encourages interaction. Look for applications that involve all children in an active manner through the use of interactive games and practical activities.
- Variety of content. Look for a platform that contains different aspects of literacy like the identification of letters, formation of words, story reading and creative writing. This will help develop a complete set of literacy abilities.
- Screen time control. Although educational applications can be very useful, it is important to limit the amount of time that children spend in front of the screen. Finding a balance between digital learning and offline activities is essential.
- Adaptation to individual needs. Every child is unique and can have different speeds of learning. It’s important to find applications and activities that adapt to the necessities of each child.
Literacy is an essential ability for children not only for academic purposes but also for their development. Literacy allows them to comprehend and communicate effectively while also encouraging their creativity and imagination. That’s why it’s very important to work on literacy from a young age.
Educational platforms like Smile and Learn are great allies for the development of that skill. In our app you will find interactive activities such as numerous stories, comprehensive readings, and adapted texts along with grammatical exercises such as dictation and videos that improve children’s writing. The best part of it: they are very fun! If you still have not tried Smile and Learn, you can do so with the following link.
