Talking points

To implement the learning goals, think about what they mean to the children themselves, says Julian Grenier

Learning to read, and learning to write, are the formal objectives children first embark upon when they enter the Foundation Stage. But the  important question for practitioners to ask themselves is: where do reading and writing come from?

The Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage helpfully describes this area of learning as 'Communication, language and literacy'. It is worth stopping to unpack those three terms a little.

Communication
Communication includes the multitude of things that babies and young children do with body language, facial expressions, gestures, sounds and words. Communication depends on interaction: if there is no-one there to see a toddler's delight when she finds a favourite toy, then no communication has taken place. So, childcare practitioners who are responsive to children's ways of expressing themselves are fundamentally supporting this area of learning, as well as providing for the emotional needs of the children in their care.

Language
Language is not just the particular language which is spoken at the early years setting. It is the language the child speaks at home, which may be a language in addition to English, or a dialect which is different to the adults' or most of the children's. If you have story tapes to listen to in your setting, it is worth considering how well these represent the accents and dialects of the children. If one is heard, what message does this give to most of the families?

Children who come into early years settings almost always know a lot about language, yet it is still common to hear a child described as having 'no language' because she or he speaks a language other than English at home. Part of the role of the adult in the setting is to create reference points for the child and to show a positive appreciation of the family's language.

One powerful way to do this is to choose some repetitive children's story  and to ask a bilingual parent to record it in their home language. All of the children in a small story group listening to the tape will be learning about how language works when they begin to pick up on the repeated phrases in the story in another language. The bilingual child will be placed in the position of an expert rather than a beginner when it comes to joining in and helping the others with the refrain.

Language is particularly about conversation. This is not easily achieved in busy early years settings where practitioners are run off their feet mopping up spills, wiping noses and refilling paint pots. But it is essential to prioritise conversation. Children need spaces to talk at length about familiar things in their lives and to experiment with ways of expressing themselves.

Literacy
Finally, literacy for young children is primarily about the ability to create meanings - for example, in pretend play where a box stands for a space ship, or when they make marks on a message pad next to the phone and take the list to the shop. Spending a session observing children making junk models can give an insight into some of the early reading that young children are engaged with. As they select boxes and cartons, they will often be reading the labels and logos, discussing which brand of cereal they like the best or which supermarket the milk carton came from. Recognition of this rich learning provides a secure foundation for later, more abstract teaching of letter shapes, names and sounds