Literacy and Numeracy News

LITERACY NEWS

The school holidays brings a time for us to slow down and enjoy time with family and friends.  Many of us will be enjoying celebrating Easter over the holiday period. This is also a time when we can bring literacy into our children's life with ease. 

• You could encourage your child to write thank you cards to the Easter Bunny, family and friends that give them a gift. This is excellent for developing their emotional language, to express how they are feeling and conveying gratitude. 
• Children could write a recount about their favourite Easter activity, encouraging your children to use adjective to develop a mental picture in the mind of the reader.
• One of my favourite activities during the holidays is to take the time to trial some new recipes. Write a procedural text on a recipe you make together. Children good also write a review on a meal or treat that they have enjoyed. This is a great opportunity for children to use their 5 senses and descriptive language. 
• Students could write a fun narrative story on the Easter bunny and tell the reader about some of his adventures delivering the eggs to all the children. 
• Picture This! During your next outing or gathering, take action-packed photos, then have your child create captions to go with each picture. Assemble the pictures and captions in a picture book or album, and add speech and thought bubbles to create a personalized—and probably hysterical—graphic novel.

The holidays are a great time to take the time to enjoying reading. It is wonderful if you can also model this for your child, if they see that you value reading it transforms the way they think, and they will see it as an important skill and not just a at school activity. 

• Join your local library – get your child a library card. They’ll be able to get their hands on hundreds of fantastic books, as well as the latest video games, blu-rays and DVDs. Let them choose what they want to read to help them develop their own interests.
• All reading is good – Don’t rule out non-fiction, comics, graphic novels, magazines or leaflets. Reading is reading and it’s all worthwhile. Get comfortable! – Snuggle up together somewhere warm and cosy, whether it’s in bed, on a beanbag or on the sofa. 
• To keep them interested in the story, ask your child questions as you read. Start with ‘Where did we get to last time?’, ‘Can you remember what’s happened so far?’ and 'What do you think will happen next?'. 
• Encourage beginning readers to read signs when out, walking and enjoying experiences like the zoo. 

Most of all have a fantastic time together, talk, listen and have fun! 

Wishing everyone a very happy and safe holidays.