General tips

Experiencing other people’s happiness by writing and reading.

• The adults should exhibit enthusiasm and focus in their own reading of books, newspapers and magazines and in relevant situations they should involve the child.
• The adults should also talk to each other or tell the child about interesting and meaningful things they themselves have written or read about.
• The adults should show the child after having read for example a manual or a recipe that they can act on what they have read.
• The adults should show and involve the child in written communication – such as postcards and emails.
• The adults should take the child to the library.

Involvement in relevant writing activities.

• Children could write their own birthday wish lists.
• The child may initially copy from toy catalogues or the adult’s writing.
• The child could take part in writing shopping lists. To start with they may copy the adult’s writing.
• The child could write his own name and the recipient’s name on “to-and-from” cards, invitations and postcards.

See, write and read meaningful words from everyday life.

• The adult can write small word cards with relevant words for the child and put them on the corresponding objects – such as teddy, bed and drawer.
• The adult can write cute messages to the child to be hung on the refrigerator or be placed in the lunchbox – such as “Have a nice day” or “I love you”.
• The adult can read words on signs aloud to the child – such as road signs, shop signs and information boards.
• The adult can read product names and words on any packaging to the child.

Easy access to writing and reading material

• The child should always have easy access to paper, pencils and colors.
• The child should have easy access to a computer with a text editor and print option. Here it is important to disable spell check.
• The child should have easy access to books (eg. picture books, comic books and electronic books).
• It is a good idea to place the books with the front outwards for the child to be inspired to read them.

Daily dose of reading aloud and involvement in reading

• The child should often have books read aloud by an adult.
• The child should choose the book to be read – even if the same book is chosen again and again.
• When reading aloud it is a good idea if the adult or child is continually pointing to the words in the text.
• Before reading a new book, the child and the adult, from the cover photo or title of the book, can guess and talk about what they think the book is about.
• At selected pages in the book, the adult can ask “What do you think happens on the next page?”
• When having finished reading the book, the adult and child can expand on the story together.
• The child should be helped when encountering new words and phrases in connection with games on the computer or video game consoles.

Pleasure, interest and praise

• It is important, that the child is able to choose itself, when and when not to write and read, in order for the desire to be the driving force.
• The child must not be corrected but praised for his or hers attempts at writing and reading.
• The adult’s task is to raise the child’s natural curiosity and interest in written language.