Early Literacy Practices (Play)

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Play

Introduction

Play enables children to develop their language, social-emotional and cognitive skills. It also encourages imagination and creativity. Learning through play comes in many forms such as imaginary play, cooperative play and physical play. They are further categorised into instructional play, games, guided and free play, depending on the degree in which children are given control over their experiences during play.

Hide-and-Seek
Have fun with your child by playing the good, old game of hide-and-seek. You can have different themes such as finding the hidden animals, specific objects, photos of family members, or simply seeking each other from hidden areas within the house.

You can make the game more challenging for older children by asking them to find sight words, providing a treasure map, or giving verbal clues to describe the location.

Can You Do This With Me?
Engage your child in learning by encouraging them to mimic your actions! Point and identify different parts of the body, emphasise the pronunciation of the letters and simple words, or even explore emotions using facial expressions.

You can challenge your older child to pronounce words with more syllables, trying out different action words or even counting with fingers. Take turns with your child and be prepared to be challenged as well.

Sensory Play
Sensory play stimulates your child’s senses and develops their sensory processing capabilities. It also encourages your child to create, investigate and discover!

Regular household items can be used for sensory play too. Here are some examples:

  • Explore textures of tissue paper, kitchen paper, and writing paper
  • Sort toys by colours
  • Locate household items of different shapes
  • Discover smells and tastes of different fruits/ food items
  • Compare sounds by tapping a spoon on different objects

Older children can also engage in sensory play such as playing with play dough, creating musical instruments with recycled materials, or even baking!

For more recommended activities, you may check out this article: Sensory Play For Toddlers Using Household Items.

gruffalo where are you

Title: Gruffalo, Where Are You?
Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: Axel Scheffler
Publisher: London: Macmillan Children’s Books, 2020.
Location: Early Literacy Sense & Sensations
Call Number: English DON

You’re never too young to meet a Gruffalo! Lift the soft felt flaps on every page to meet all your favourite characters from the deep dark wood.

With soft fabric flaps which are easy to lift and help develop fine motor skills, this felt flaps book is perfect for sharing with babies. Designed to appeal to even the youngest child, simple patterns and bright colours combine with Axel Scheffler’s instantly recognizable artwork to keep babies entertained for hours. Perfect for tiny Gruffalo fans, Gruffalo, Where Are You? is part of a charming range of books specially created for babies featuring Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s iconic creation, the Gruffalo.

the body book

Title: Hide and Seek: Lift-the-Flap
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: London: Puffin Books, 2021.
Location: Early Literacy Sense & Sensations
Call Number: English DAH

It’s time for a gloriumptious game of hide and seek with Roald Dahl!

Who’s that hiding under the flap? Is it a ginormous giraffe or a friendly giant? Just watch out for the enormous crocodile…

With iconic illustrations from Quentin Blake, this sturdy, colourful lift-the-flap book is the perfect way to introduce the youngest chiddlers to the wonderful world of Roald Dahl.

let's look at numbers

Title: Let’s Look at Numbers
Author: Marion Deuchars
Illustrator: Marion Deuchars
Publisher: London: Laurence King Publishing, 2021.
Location: Early Literacy Concepts
Call Number: English 513.2 DEU

Introduce numbers from 1 to 10 with this stunning board book, perfect for sharing with your baby or toddler.

Part of a brand-new series of board books Let’s Look At… and with beautiful artwork from bestselling author and illustrator Marion Deuchars, this book is the perfect introduction to counting. Make learning fun and stimulating as you go through the pages of this gorgeous book for young readers.

can you guess animals

Title: Can You Guess? Animals: With the Very Hungry Caterpillar
Author: Eric Carle
Illustrator: Eric Carle
Publisher: New York: World of Eric Carle, 2020.
Location: Early Literacy Emergent Readers
Call Number: English 590 CAR

Spot the animals in this guessing-game board book featuring The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

Which animal has wrinkly gray skin and a long trunk? It’s an elephant! Try to guess which animal will appear on the next page from the colorful close-ups and clever clues from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Eric Carle’s beautiful classic illustrations bring the animals to life on the page!

All synopses taken from the respective publishers. The book covers are the copyright of the respective publishing companies.

For more activities and book recommendations, click here.