Nursery World - 10 key points (5)

Use these ten key points as possible lead-ins for discussion at a staff meeting or with parents and carers: 1 What experience of print do children have outside of the home/setting? 2 Are there plenty of signs and labels displayed in the setting? How do children use these?

Use these ten key points as possible lead-ins for discussion at a staff meeting or with parents and carers: 1 What experience of print do children have outside of the home/setting?

2 Are there plenty of signs and labels displayed in the setting? How do children use these?

3 Do children make and use signs and labels spontaneously in their play? How could you encourage this?

4 How is children's awareness of the purposes of print raised through daily routines?

5 Do signs and labels include written scripts which reflect the home languages of bilingual children?

6 Have you discussed the correlation between early reading and mark making/early writing?

7 In what ways are adults providing a role model for purposeful reading?

8 Are there opportunities for reading in a 'real' context in all provision areas?

9 Do you plan time to observe children at play? What have you learned about their early reading development?

10 What systems are in place for the sharing of information between practitioner and parent?

Jane Drake is a nursery teacher at Cottingley Primary School, Leeds, and author of Planning Children's Play and Learning in the Foundation Stage (David Fulton)