Student-Initiated Play and Literacy Development

Play for young children is not recreation activity,... It is not leisure-time activity nor escape activity.... Play is thinking time for young children. It is language

time. Problem-solving time. It is memory time, planning time, investigating time. It is organization-of-ideas time, when

the young child uses his mind and body and his social skills and all his powers in

response to the stimuli he has met.

--James L. Hymes, Jr., child development specialist, author

Oral Language

• Oral Language is a crucial part part of literacy development

• Research shows that vocabulary and oral language skills are a bigger predictor of later success in reading and writing than phonics and alphabet knowledge

http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/kindergarten_report.pdf

Think of oral language as the base of literacy. Reading and writing

cannot exist without it.

Oral Language

Reading Writing

• Research shows that children who engage in complex forms of socio-dramatic play have greater language skills than non-players, better social skills, more empathy, more imagination and more of the subtle capacity to know what others mean.

http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/kindergarten_report.pdf

Looking ahead without pushing ahead means introducing books, the alphabet, and other elements of literacy in playful ways, without the burden of long hours of drill and testing to meet inappropriate standards.

Student-initiated

reading and writing

Support Oral Language Development at Home

Speak to your child a lot

• Explain what you are doing• Think aloud• Model good language structure and critical thinking

skills• Involve your child- ask opinions, have child participate

as much as possible• Use a variety of vocabulary- the more vocabulary a

child knows, the easier it will be to figure out unfamiliar words when they start learning to read

Encourage the use of writing and drawing during play- play restaurant and make menus, make signs for

pretend shows, make money and tickets to sell, or open a lemonade stand!

Make books together

• Have your child illustrate and dictate the story, or have your child use developmental spelling to write the story. Treasure these books and read them again and again!

Questions?