Around the age of two and a half, when the big physical milestones like sitting up, standing, walking and running have passed, many parents start measuring their child's subsequent progress by language achievements.
What their child has said or can say is relayed to extended family and often compared among groups of mothers. At this stage many mothers of very young boys, hearing about the chattering achievements of very young girls, become stressed. They worry that their boys of about the same age are still virtually non-talkers and appear to have little desire to talk about the things they see or do.
Too often mothers of boys have not realised that boys' language development is different and often slower than girls', even though their verbal understanding may be more or less equal. Adults happily colour-code clothes for the sexes - blue for boys, pink for girls - but tend to treat baby boys and girls alike and expect their reactions to be similar.
During the birth-to-three period, insufficient information is usually available for parents about the physical and developmental differences between the male and female brains, and children's different needs as a result.
Literacy, in the minds of many parents, is concerned with reading and writing and the steps and methods used to acquire these skills. Adults fail to recognise that by the age of three, many children have begun, self-taught, to read. They may recognise the logo for their favourite ice cream and point it out to their parents or carers. These children have in fact made a big cognitive step - they have worked out how to decode something printed to get meaning.
Language is a living thing, and the meanings of words can change according to new needs, research and fashions. The meaning of literacy has shifted to include an amalgam of skills in decoding that are needed to get meaning from something printed. It is now accepted that reading a book, magazine or advert is not merely decoding words to get meaning. As in the case of the three-year-old who decoded his ice cream logo, literacy is holistic. It draws on and involves amalgamating different types of literacy experiences and skills to get meaning.
Looking back to their first black and white picture book experiences (see 'First steps', 11 January 2007), adults can appreciate how a child who has regularly enjoyed sharing selected picture books with adult mediation, followed by browsing opportunities, has already started to acquire and unconsciously use many of the categories of holistic literacy.
The categories of holistic literacy recognised and possibly understood through shared picture book experiences from birth to three are as follows.
LANGUAGE LITERACY
- a wider use of spoken and narrative language forms
- a larger vocabulary
- the sounds of English language (26 alphabet letters but 44 sounds)
- rhyming language
- different rhythms and intonations
- use of stresses (English is a stress-based language) and pauses.
Visual literacy
- different text styles (not only capitals and small letters)
- photographs and how to get meaning from them
- different styles and colours used in illustration and how to get meaning from them.
CULTURAL LITERACY
- daily life and cultural experiences beyond their own environment
- other geographical environments, such as seaside, mountains, jungle, dessert
- other people, animals and things represented in different visual styles.
EMOTIONAL LITERACY
- enjoyment and excitement through reliving, imagining, creating
- recognition and reconciliation of own problems by reading about similar situations
- escaping temporarily from their own world.
In control
By the age of three, children who have already discovered the joy of 'reading' picture books with an adult or browsing by themselves are ready for longer stories as well as rhyme or song books, and in the case of many boys, more profound information books. Some children, especially girls, enjoy 'reading' aloud to themselves when given the opportunity. Some make up their own story to fit the pictures; others, who have picked up the text word-for-word, may even copy the adult reader's way of using different voices for the story characters.
If children have time to browse (a form of play) with a book, they have an opportunity to personalise its contents. Each time a child re-reads a book they tend to read it at a deeper level of understanding. Owning or borrowing a book is important for a young child as, apart from the physical closeness (unlike a TV or DVD programme experience), it gives a child an opportunity to take over the adult's role and be in control while they personalise their speed and way of reading.
Vygotsky said, 'Language is the tool of thought'. Holistic literacy unlocks wider thinking. Through sharing selected picture books, adults can mediate a very young child's book experiences beyond the child's here and now, helping them acquire, unconsciously, their first foundations of holistic literacy.
Through regular book experiences very young children begin to understand that books provide not only fun, but experiences that can excite them, give them meaning and satisfy their personal emotional, mental, imaginative and creative needs. From this early age, adults are nurturing 'a love of books'.
RECOMMENDED CORE TITLES
Look out for other books by these authors
We're going to feed the ducks Author Margrit Cruikshank, illustrator Rosie Reeve (Frances Lincoln, paperback, ISBN 1-84507-261-8)
- A cumulative story counting different animals up to five and back to one, in which the two young children have to postpone feeding the ducks until the end of their adventure.
Dig Dig Digging Author Margaret Mayo, illustrator Alex Aycliffe(Orchard Books, board book, ISBN 1-84121-418-3)
- Covers every type of big transport vehicle, describing their work - cranes lift, lift, lifting, rubbish trucks gobble, gobble, gobbling - providing fun opportunities to join in and play with language.
Who's in the jungle? Author Heather J Gondek, illustrator Chris Gilvan Cartwright (Tango Books, novelty hardback, ISBN 1 85707 680 X)
- Guess who is hiding in the jungle from the clues given on the left page, then lift the flap to check the answer to 'Who am I?'
A Dragon on the Doorstep Author Stella Blackstone, illustrator Debbie Harter (Barefoot Books, paperback with CD, ISBN 1-905236-65-4)
- Six animals' hide and seek adventure throughout a house. Rhyming, easy to pick-up text to say or sing.
Five Little Ducks: A Noisy Counting Book (Little Tiger Press, novelty board book, ISBN 97888-1-84506-394-8)
- Not the traditional version. Added text gives explanations about each duck. A sound 'quac'k button adds fun to each verse.
Joe's Dog Author Angela Joy, illustrator Nicola Slater (Little Tiger Press, novelty board book, ISBN 1-84506-164-0)
- Jo and his mum go looking for a dog for Joe, who knows which dog he wants. Fun, rhythmic text, with new adjectives and fluffy fur to stroke.
Hippo Has a Hat Author Julia Donaldson, illustrator Nick Sharratt (Macmillan, paperback, ISBN 978-1-4050-2192-0)
- Chaos in the clothes shop as the animals try on different clothes. Once everyone looks smart, the party starts!
Look Out! It's the Wolf! By Emile Jadoul (Zero to Ten, board book, ISBN 1-84089-349-4)
- Mr Deer lets in, one by one, the animals running away from Mr Wolf. Finally Mr Wolf appears and receives a surprise welcome. Repetitive text.
Big Red Bath Author Julia Jarman, illustrator Adrian Reynolds (Orchard Books, board book, ISBN 978-1-84616-466-8)
- Splish! Splosh! Splash! Join Ben and Bella in their bath of bubbles. Rhyming, repetitive text to join in with as the bath flies twice around the world!
How Do Dinosaurs Learn Colours and Numbers?
- Author Jane Yolen, illustrator Mark Teague (Harper Collins, ISBN 978-0-00-724473-7)
Colour coded words take the reader into dinosaurs' homes to find out about the colours and numbers of the things the dinosaurs enjoy.
