Discuss with children the characters and events in books being read to them.
Encourage children to predict outcomes, to think of alternative endings and to compare story plots and the feelings of characters with their own experiences.
Focus on meaningful print (such as a child’s name, words on a cereal packet or a book title, icons on a weather app) in order to discuss similarities and differences between symbols.
Help children to understand what a word is by using names and labels and by pointing out words in the environment and in print and digital books.
Remember not all languages have written forms and not all families speak English at home, or are literate in their home language.
Include home language and bilingual story sessions by involving qualified bilingual adults, as well as enlisting the help of parents.
Read dual language books (English and another language) with all children, to raise awareness of different scripts. Try to match dual language books to languages spoken by families in the setting.
Remember that established literacy practices in homes might differ from those of the setting.
