Whether as a result of holidays abroad or the early introduction of a language other than English into the curriculum, most young children are aware that other people 'say things differently'. The fact that many of them write them down differently underlines this dramatically.
Since the achievement of literacy in English requires hard work on the part of both practitioners and children, it might seem too much of a complication to introduce them to other alphabets until much later in their education. Yet here, as elsewhere, the foundations of later learning are crucial. Some appreciation of the fact that other alphabets exist can help young children understand that writing is not a complicated mystery, but simply a way of putting words down on paper.
A good starting point is the alphabets that children have already encountered. They may have seen examples of scripts used by minority communities in their local area. The Chinese takeaway, for example, may have its name and menu in Cantonese as well as in English. The souvenirs children have brought back from holiday may have examples of other scripts, such as Greek or Cyrillic in the Balkans even if they have not left Europe.
Explore with them whether they have seen things in other alphabets and explain that these marks are also writing, even though they look unusual.
If you have contact with a parent or someone else who is fluent in a language using another alphabet, ask that person to come in to the setting and illustrate the writing they employ. Discuss with the children what they think of the shapes employed and how some have more curved lines and others straighter ones. Write the children's names in other scripts - this can be a source of real fascination.
