Literacy in Children Begins at Home/Guest Post

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The literal definition of literacy is being able to read and write and being educated, either in general or in a particular field of study. When it comes to children, most parents believe that the journey to literacy starts when they begin school. But that is not entirely true – in fact, a child begins to learn the minute he or she is born into this world. And if we are talking of the knowledge gathering process, that begins not at school, but at home. For a child to improve his or her literacy at home, here’s what a parent must do:

· Encourage them to read more: The more your child reads, the more literate he or she is. When you’re able to assimilate a book, it’s easy to learn your lessons and understand them. Read to your toddler not just at bedtime but during the day too. The colors and pictures in illustrated books help their memories develop faster. Once they’re able to read by themselves, encourage them to take up reading as a hobby and minimize the time they watch TV or spend in front of the computer with mindless games.

· Get them involved in mentally stimulating activities: Puzzles and acrostics help children develop their mental acuity and word power. They gain a better grasp of language and logic, two aspects that help us maintain an efficient learning process throughout our lives. When your kids pick up skills that are not generally associated with regular learning, they gain an edge over their counterparts and peers.

· Let them be children: And last, but not the least, you must let children be children and engage in activities that are suitable for their age. If you pressure them into other activities that you think are more meaningful and useful, you are interfering with the growing process and in fact stunting their growth, emotionally and socially.

· Spend time with them: When you’re a child, you need love and attention more than anything else. And when you don’t give your children the time and attention they need, you are interfering with their natural growth and literacy process. They become unruly and disruptive in subconscious ways to gain your attention, and this disrupts their learning process.

A child must be given every opportunity to become literate, starting with the environment at home.

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson.