Literacy Development

By the time children leave Small Wonders Preschool we want them to;

Enjoy books and rhymes. Listen to and join in with familiar stories, songs and rhymes. Use stories

in their play. Understand how to use and look after books.

We have a well-stocked comfortable book corner where children can freely access books

independently, with their peers and with adults. We have regular story time where children are

encouraged to choose their favourite stories and encouraged to join in with the story time repeating

known phrases or guessing what will happen. We have puppets, figures, dressing up and various

props to encourage using stories in their play. We have singing time at the end of each session

where children join in with favourite songs and rhymes.

Recognise and find their name. Recognise some letters of the alphabet by sound and name.

Understand how English text is represented.

Children find their name cards each morning at registration time and for snack time. We write

children’s names on art and craft work in clear writing using a capital letter followed by clear lower

case letters in the top left hand corner, wherever possible (depending on shape of craft work) to

encourage the knowledge that print is read from left to right, top to bottom and that the letters they

see represents their name. We have various equipment showing letters and words such as magnetic

letters and letter puzzles so children become familiar with them. We say the phonic sound of the

letter as well as the name of the letter and find words which begin with the same sound. We use the

games and ideas in Letters and Sounds Phonics stage 1 with our older children to support their

sound discrimination.

Hold a pencil in a tripod grip. Write some letters accurately

Our fine motor skills activities develop hand strength and coordination in readiness for writing. We

also provide activities which need a pincer/tripod grip to work such as tweezers with small objects to

pick up and move, pipets and liquid, tongs and scoops with messy play. Mark making is encouraged

in a variety of ways such as chalks on pavement, sticks through mud, tools, combs and fingers

though messy play resources such as foam, custard or jelly. Pencils, crayons and paintbrushes of

various sizes to support mark making. Triangle grip pencils to encourage a tripod grip. Name cards

and tracing patterns to copy over when children are ready and show an interest.

Literacy Aspects – Comprehension Word Reading Writing

3-4 yr assessment and monitoring milestones

• Join in with songs and rhymes. Say some of the missing words in a song when prompted.

• Develop phonological awareness so that they can spot and suggest rhymes or rhyming

words.

• Phonetically sound out some letters. Suggest words that begin with the initial sound.

• Count or clap syllables in a word such as own name.

• Enjoy sharing a book with an adult. Pays attention and respond to the pictures or the words,

has a favourite book. Makes comments, asks questions or shares own ideas.

• Enjoy looking at books independently.

• Holds book correct way up and turns pages individually, understand English text runs left to

right.

• Points to pictures, makes own story up or uses pictures as a prompt to retell a familiar story,

joins in with repetitive refrains.

• Can retell a familiar story. Uses knowledge of how stories are structured or uses ideas from

stories in their play.

• Recognise own name and some familiar words and signs.

• Enjoy drawing freely. Give meaning to their marks and attempting to write name.

• Uses pretend writing in their play such as writing a shopping list.

• Write some or all of their name. Form recognisable letters for words other than their name