Essay Sample on Developing Children's Language and Literacy

Early childhood and literacy development for children aged 0-8 years old is strongly influenced by the child's language environment. It is one of the most evident and important developments of early childhood is the ability to communicate. Language and literacy development are thus important aspects of early childhood development. They contain the development of communication abilities, such as the ability to read and write, as well as the ability to communicate with people through languages. Talking and reading simple words in one's parents' original language is an example of language and literacy development in early learning. Even though babies are unable to communicate, this type of development begins at birth.

Technology

In Technology and Interactive Media as Tools in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Fred Rogers Center state that "appropriate experiences with technology and media allow children to control the medium and the outcome of the experience, to explore the functionality of these tools, and pretend how they might be used in real life." So, when using technology for early learning, early educators should keep in mind the developmental levels of the children. Teachers should think about what is ideal for a child's healthy development first and then think about how technology can help early learners reach learning goals. Technology should not be used for the sake of technology. Instead, it should be used only for learning and development purposes, including playing with it as a toy. Also, using technology in early learning settings should be integrated into the learning program and rotated with other learning tools like art, writing, play, and books. It should allow early learners to express themselves without replacing other classroom learning materials. 

Techniques

Families can help support early childhood language and literacy development in a variety of ways. The first technique families use with their children to support language and literacy development is repetition. Repetition comes in many forms, such as a routine or the environment around them. Children benefit from knowing what to expect and having things happen in a predictable order. For example, encourage learning by repeating the child's favorite story, activity, or song. Next, they could ask the child to repeat the activity and extend it by drawing pictures, thinking about similarities and differences, and encouraging them to anticipate words or actions. They will be able to form the brain connections required for more complex learning as a result of this repetitive learning.

The second technique families can use with their child to support language and literacy development is to listen to music. Listening to music with the child is a great way to help them develop their language skills. Music has a beat and emphasizes intonation, which might help syllable awareness and other components of verbal communication. Also, they can utilize accompanying books to follow along and point to pictures or act out the song's lyrics, which will help the child make connections between actions and words.

The last technique families can use with their child to support language and literacy development is to explore books together. Children enjoy being told stories, so reading books can help them develop language skills from a young age. Whether the books have pictures or not, the parents should focus on the words and create connections in their child's head to help them acquire language. The parents should pause and talk about what is going on. They should give their child the opportunity to talk about the story once the book is finished. 

GELDS

The Georgia Early Learning Developmental Standards (GELDS) allows educators to connect language and literacy development with children ages 0-8 by providing an integrated framework for teaching and learning. It is a framework for quality education focusing on children in their first eight years of life and developing their language and literacy skills. The GELDS is based on the belief that all children can learn and that the best teaching method is a balanced approach that uses assessment to determine each learner's strengths and needs. It is the teacher's responsibility to provide opportunities for the children to develop and build on their knowledge and skills in language and literacy.

Conclusion

The importance of children's early language and learning for later school preparation, engagement, and performance has been proven without a doubt. Children's experiences influence early language development and learning at home. Learning activities, parenting quality, and learning materials are three characteristics of the home literacy environment that increase children's learning and language. Furthermore, parents with greater resources are better able to give their young children beneficial learning experiences. Finally, as demonstrated by connections between child characteristics and parenting behaviors, children play an essential part in their own learning experiences. Overall, children impact their parents just as parents impact their children; thus, it is important to recognize the relational aspect of children's early language and learning experiences.