The main idea of family literacy is to support the knowledge base of every family member. This form of support should be multi-generational, i.e. where both the adults and kids learn simultaneously. Nevertheless, children’s needs differ significantly from those of adults. If a five-year-old is trying to decode new words, the parent should be working on understanding what they have read to help the child comprehend better. This means both will benefit in the process. Many times, early family literacy programs encompass activities for adults, which are then introduced to kids. Eventually, everyone in the family united, maybe with a story in the end.
Benefits of Parental Involvement in early family literacy, research indicates that kids whose parents participate in their early literacy demonstrate a higher emotional and social development. They are more likely to be resilient to life stresses and may enjoy greater fulfilment in life. Moreover, parental guidance in early literacy helps to improve self-control, social competence, and the kids will have positive relationships with their peers. Such attributes consequently lead to more successful marriages and minimal delinquency.
The Use of Technology to Promote Parent-Child Conversations
Technology can reinforce communication between parents and their kids. For instance, children may enrol in reading, singing, or talking programs that involve using a talking pedometer to measure how many words they have spoken. Some gadgets calibrate the number of phrases a child hears and send them to the parent’s smartphone.
Every parent can incorporate the following activities into the daily life of their child to promote literacy.
• Making sounds of animals drawn in books
• Encouraging kids to request what they want rather than pointing to it
• Make time for storytelling
• Put a child’s name on the items they use every day
• Name foods and explain how they are grown
• Sing songs and recite rhymes together every day
• Identify things that a child can see, e.g. sunshine, colors, symbols, rain, etc.
Parents should therefore make their children’s learning process easier by offering an inspiring and peaceful environment. They are responsible for supporting their kids’ school motto at home, especially in the early years of primary education. Some schools have gone a step higher to include family literacy events in their calendar. Such events aim to assist families in encouraging new readers to grow their skills. Such festivals help adults learn essential strategies to help kids read well.
