10 ways to improve your child’s numeracy and literacy skills
Tip one: Start reading early!
By Kim Kelly, Founder and Executive Director of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation
Literacy is a fundamental building block for children’s educational achievement, as well as their engagement with society and future employment prospects.
In Australia, one in four Year 7 students do not have the required numeracy or literacy skills for their grade.
With a goal to celebrate Australian stories and improve children’s literacy skills, the partnership sees the creation of Story Sauce for Alexa – a fun and engaging learning experience designed for children aged seven to 10 years old.
The stories share rich cultural experiences from diverse Australian authors and narrators, including Jeremy Donovan and Jay Laga’aia. As children listen to the stories, they can play a series of games and unlock fun rewards, collecting the special Story Sauce – the magical flavour of that story!
Story Sauce can help improve literacy by exposing children to rich, expressive language and imaginative journeys, enhancing their vocabulary, honing their listening comprehension, and improving their focus – all key to strengthening young literacy skills.
Daily reading is necessary for a child’s early development.
10 tips for parents to improve their child’s numeracy and literacy skills
1. Start reading young
Research tells us that babies are listening carefully to our conversations. It’s important to start reading for your child in the early stages of their development.
2. Read daily
For toddlers, vital vocabulary is building rapidly. Daily reading is necessary for their early development. Start by reading in short increments, revisiting the book between activities to maintain your child’s attention.
3. Choose books that stimulate growth
Building and expanding vocabulary is critical for pre-schoolers. It’s important to choose books that explore the world and stimulate their imagination to enhance their literacy skills.
Stories have the power to open up a child’s mind, encouraging creative thinking and imagination. Adam Goodes has been an ALNF ambassador since 2017.
4. Implement a routine
Establishing a routine with your child helps to ensure reading is part of their daily schedule, such as at naptime and bedtime. It also creates times during the day that you and your child can look forward to and expect to learn something new.
5. Make it fun
Whether your child loves animals, dinosaurs, or outer space, choose books that your child will look forward to reading. Encourage your child to act out the story that you’re reading, or ask them to guess what will happen next.
6. Tell your story aloud
Stories have the power to open up a child’s mind, encouraging creative thinking and imagination. The more words we are exposed to, the more our vocabulary builds. Encourage your child to read books aloud to build their confidence and strengthen their aural literacy skills.
ALNF’s new Story Sauce is available on Amazon Echo smart speakers, Echo Show devices and via the Alexa app.
7. Read by example
There’s no better way to develop a child’s love of reading than letting them see you read yourself. Like other aspects of life, set the habits you want your child to implement. Creating positive associations to help drive motivation and engagement can influence your child to read deeply and read regularly.
8. Time isn’t always of the essence
You don’t need a lot of time for literacy activities – five minutes a few times a day is often enough – they key is to use different opportunities to help your child learn. It can be as simple as writing a shopping list together, playing a rhyming game or acknowledging a road sign.
9. Encourage kids to tell their own story
Storytelling helps kids develop a cultural and moral understanding of themselves and their identity. While reading fosters imaginative, creative thinking and cognitive skills, encouraging your child to tell their own story boosts memory, and gives way to learn more about who they are.
10. Get creative with technology:
In moderation, technology can be a great way to provide kids more opportunity to practice their literacy skills, and have fun doing it.
ALNF’s new Story Sauce for Alexa is a fun and engaging way for kids aged 7 – 10 years to practise their comprehension skills, boost vocabulary and sharpen focus — all key for improving literacy outcomes so that kids can thrive at school and beyond.
You can learn more on our website, or check it out for yourself by saying, “Alexa, play Story Sauce”.
Kim Kelly, Founder and Executive Director of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation
