Dramatic Play Examples: Use ideas and activities to encourage joy in imagination, prediction, and exploration. The Elf on the Shelf by C Abersold and C Bell, is a fun and exciting way to develop these skills in our children.
Preschoolers develop literacy through continual exposure to oral and written language, and by building on prior knowledge and language experiences. Pictures, play, and the printed word combine with oral language to help children understand the symbolic representation that underlies reading and writing. Children learn through a variety of fun, engaging strategies in the classroom to develop literacy such as: dramatic play, read alouds, storytelling, poetry, words and letters, and writing. adapted from: www.greatschools.org Read Alouds: Reading aloud to your children improves language development, builds emotional connections, and improves cognitive skills.
Storytelling: Telling a story enhances listening, teaches story structure, develops prediction and builds on anticipation.
Poetry: Nursery Rhymes, songs and poetry helps children to learn phonemic awareness, notice and isolate specific sounds in language, and rhyme.
Words and Letters: Helps children learn the relationship between sounds and words to printed letters and words. Exposure to print is the key to learning.
Writing: Students learn to read by writing. The practice of using symbols they associate with sounds develops the relationship to writing, reading, and comprehension.
Dramatic Play: (dress up, pretend play, imaginative play) Teachers use dramatic play centers in their classrooms to encourage and teach skills in all areas of development. Play in Preschool develops higher level thinking skills, social emotional development, and improves brain development.