Parents and schools can support children to develop strong foundations, and confidence in their learning by working together.
Brisbane Catholic Education Project Lead Literacy Lucy Walker said in the early school years, it was important for parents to help build a love of reading via shared experiences that were positive, purposeful and meaningful.
She suggested sharing your favourite books or movies, talking about what you’ve learned, or what you found interesting to foster your child’s curiosity.
“When we build a love of literacy and a curiosity, it means that we have a growth mindset, where we are brave enough to tackle new words or things that might be a little bit tricky,” Ms Walker said.
“Acknowledge and celebrate effort, thinking and improvement, not just correct answers, to spark curiosity and joy.”
Ms Walker said practical things parents could do included visiting a local library to find a new or classic story to read.
Other tips included writing handwritten notes or letters to family and friends, or finding new recipes to share or build your own recipe book together.
See Ms Walker talk about how to help your child at home with their literacy.
Across BCE schools, teachers plan for learning using a process that supports students to know what they are learning, why it matters and how to improve.
Your child will be encouraged to practise skills regularly, talk about their learning, receive feedback, and reflect on their progress.
Here are Ms Walker’s tips to help your children learn at home:
When reading together
- Encourage your child to read regularly and talk with them about what they are reading.
- If your child gets stuck, prompt them to think about what would make sense, drawing on what they know about words and language.
- Read aloud to your child often, including a wide range of texts, to build vocabulary, knowledge and enjoyment of reading.
When supporting spelling and writing
- Talk with your child about words; how they sound, how they are built, and what they mean.
- Encourage them to notice patterns in words and draw on spelling knowledge they already have.
- Help them see spelling and writing as skills that develop over time, with practice, feedback and persistence.
Through everyday conversations
- Talk with your child about what they are learning at school and encourage them to explain their ideas.
- Use shared learning language that uses the correct terminology for language. For example: syllable, sound, letter, clause, sentence.
- Acknowledge and celebrate effort, thinking and improvement, not just correct answers.
BCE Open Week runs from 27 April to 3 May. Take a sneak peek beyond the school gates and find out about the events in your local area.
