Emergent Literacy and Play

Children playing hopscotch

By Parul Chandra, Head Teacher 

This is a ’puter. You like, type on it. —Jack, referring to his two pieces of taped cardboard with handwritten “keys.”


Parents of preschool-aged children often wonder how their children are going to leap from being unable to recognize letters to becoming avid, full-fledged readers. They ask if their children would benefit from direct reading instruction. Teachers are quick to inform them that children’s experiences in the Bing classroom actually build their basic literacy skills. In early childhood education, we call this pre-reading stage “emergent literacy,” and it can take place in the form of play. 


Emergent literacy is a term that is also used to describe children’s knowledge of reading and writing skills before they learn those skills. In a literate society, young children are in the process of becoming literate even before they read. The skills, knowledge and attitudes that children acquire through play are the building blocks for learning to read and write. At Bing, teachers find many ways to support the children and enhance their engagement in literacy.

Child using paint to write numbers on an easel.

When they arrive to Center AM, children are greeted by a teacher at a table holding their name tags, which include their photo. As part of the arrival ritual, children are encouraged to find their tag by identifying their name. Initially, the younger children look for their photo and later begin to recognize the letters in their name. As the year progresses and peer relationships are formed, we have noticed children scanning the table for their friends’ names. They quickly make the association that if a friend’s tag is on the table, their friend hasn’t yet arrived. They get excited if the tag is not there and rush off to find their friend to start the day. This arrival ritual is intentionally woven into our routine as a meaningful way for children to learn that letters are symbols and represent names.


Children’s Mailboxes
Teachers further enhanced the children’s emergent literacy this school year by introducing the children to mailboxes. A large, wooden box on wheels contained several rows of small doors, each with a name and picture of a child. Children delighted in the mailboxes, and we observed an abundance of letters being exchanged. We noticed that the children were very excited to receive mail from their teachers, parents and peers. Receiving and giving spurred the children’s desire to create more and more mail for their friends. In addition to the letters written in school, children also brought in letters written at home and delivered them to their friends. Letters from parents were especially significant to some children, who carried the notes with them all morning as a reassurance of their bonds with Mom and Dad.
Letter writing was a satisfying project for the children. They made connections with each other and established friendships. Because all the children participated in some way, it strengthened a sense of community as they expressed their feelings in their writing. 


The project also provided an opportunity for children to express their feelings in the wake of the pandemic. They wrote about how the year was different and how they felt when problems arose. Acknowledging the feelings expressed in their letters shows children we value their thoughts and ideas. For example, when children had difficulty with separation, teachers offered to help them write a letter to their parent or caregiver. Listening attentively and recording children’s words seemed to help children externalize their feelings and make them more manageable:
Dear Mom, 
I want you to not go. I want dad to drop me [off]. Come back soon. Now.
Quentin

Other children wrote to friends who had moved on to kindergarten:
Dear Mila, 
I miss you. I hope we can have a playdate. I hope you have a really good day. And I really 
miss you.
Josie


The letters indicated variations in the children’s readiness for pre-reading experiences. Young children are aware that their marks carry meaning, and they may use drawings, intentional scribbles, or letter-like forms to explore and express ideas. Some children drew pictures, while others wrote recognizable letters and names. Some children used bright colors and drew vigorous lines. All of the children seemed very satisfied with their product, including Mikey, who wrapped up a piece of tape. “This is mail for Toby,” he said, placing the tape in Toby’s mailbox. 


Teachers helped model the process by writing down children’s words, when appropriate. All these early stages of writing build a solid foundation for conventional writing, which typically develops in the early primary school years. As children move from preschool to kindergarten, they begin to use conventional letters to write words phonetically, also called inventive spelling (e.g., “5 dolrs”). They use this kind of writing to tell a story, share news and to label their projects. 


Making Lists, Signs and Charts
Another emergent literary experience occurred when the children recorded their names on waitlists. If children wanted to do woodworking, they had to put their names on a list. Some children left marks on the list to represent their names, some wrote a few letters in their names, while others wrote their whole names and offered to write the names of children who were still developing this skill. These actions underscored the benefits of a mixed-age classroom, where children can scaffold each other’s learning. Older children were helping younger children. They all showed delight in making their “marks,” regardless of their different levels and abilities. Waiting became easier once they were actively involved in the process of writing their names on the list.


Solutions to everyday practical problems in the classroom can also be an important part of emergent literacy. For example, Evie and Jack worked together at the language table to create signs that said: “MISSING MITTEN. GIVE TO EVIE.” Evie drew a picture of her lost mitten as a visual to help peers identify it. A group of children went out to the grove area of the yard to tape the signs onto trees. Evie told the children, “I think I lost it here.” Evie’s face lit up the next morning when she saw that her sign had worked: Her mitten was waiting for her on the language table! Children remembered this incident many weeks later. Gabe said, “I lost my gold coin in the sand. I buried it, and I don’t know where.” Jack responded, “You can make a lost sign,” and he ran into the classroom to bring out a clipboard and pencil. Making the connection by reflecting on a past experience was valuable to Jack, as he felt he was able to contribute to being a problem-solver.


Teachers observed that children are intrinsically interested in the play of their peers. As a result, we saw that children were motivated to make signs for their play as an invitation to bring others into that play. These signs were the children’s own unique symbols, letters and drawings, reflecting their point of view about play or a game. We noted that shared interests brought new combinations of players together. Children provided a description of their play in symbolic form, whether through letters or drawings, and others were interested in deciphering the meaning of these marks.


Another emergent literary experience arose after reading the book Bunny Cakes. The children decided to vote for their favorite cake. A teacher created a chart and children wrote their names in the column of their choice. A scavenger hunt in the grove area generated more examples of emergent literacy: Children had to hunt for pictures hidden throughout the redwood trees and record their discoveries on their clipboards. 

News from children with drawings and dictations.
Center AM News: Evie: I found a special leaf yesterday. It had a special color—yellow and brown. Yaelle: I found a black leaf at the beach with my aunt Becca!

Expressing Ideas
When teachers act as a scribe for what the children are saying, the children recognize that their thoughts are valuable and that the act of writing them down is valued. In one emergent literacy activity, the teachers documented some questions posed by children: 
“How do you hear the ocean in the shell?”
“What is rain? What is rain made of?”
“How does your shoulder work?”


Teachers shared the children’s ideas with the group at story and snack times. This exposed the children to many varied ideas, which can help to develop their ability to see from others’ perspectives. We heard children agree and disagree. Hana expressed it well when she said, “Everyone thinks differently. And that is OK!” 

Children playing with small cube blocks with alphabets.

Playing with Letters and Words 
An exchange between two friends illustrates how play is preparing them to be successful readers. Grabbing a clipboard, Josie rushed over to a teacher. “I learnt Grace to write a G! See, that’s a nice G,” said Josie, proud of her friend’s efforts and expressing happiness to be her teacher. The girls were in their pretend office playing with keyboards, clipboards, phones and other office supplies. They burst into peals of laughter as they showed each other their clipboards and looked for the letters in their names on the keyboard. For young children, play is rich, dynamic, intentional and purposeful. This type of play is best when inspired by peers and supportive adults. In the girls’ exchange, the play served as an important avenue for them to develop literacy.


There are numerous other examples of play that fall under the definition of emergent literacy. Children dictated prose that ranged in complexity. Some created to-do lists. One list noted play and activities that were important to the child: 
1. Play outside with Yaelle. 
2. Play with my sister. 
3. Artwork with my sister.


Another example is when Quincey looked at herself in a mirror as she drew a self-portrait. As she viewed her drawing, she dictated: “It’s me! I have good hair. I washed it because I put water and I did my whole body and everything!” 


Word games with rhyme and rhythm are another playful way to build on these pre-literacy skills. Children enjoy exploring syllables in each other’s names and try to identify similarities and differences. A 3-year-old may still be grasping the idea of having two syllables in his name. Older children enjoy counting syllables and learning rhymes and songs that involve syllables. While observing name tags, children begin to notice that not all names with two syllables have the same number of letters. They start to weave numeracy and literacy together as they spell out the words, count the letters and compare them. 


Making Books
Children often have stories in mind when they paint or draw. Narrative prose often accompanied pictures that children made. For example, Eleni made her own version of Giant John, one of her favorite books, which included detailed illustrations and text from her memory of the storyline. Children also created books out of their own imaginations or experiences. Kaira worked hard writing and illustrating her own eight-page book. She declared, “I am the author and the illustrator.” She then decided to sell her book, adding a piece of yarn with a price tag: “5 dolrs.” She was quite pleased when the book found an eager buyer. The confidence these children felt was palpable as they showcased their work to their peers. This sense of self-efficacy resulting from creating a written product is important for pre-reading and emerging literacy.


Teachers observe children expressing tremendous satisfaction as they communicate their thoughts through writing. Exploration and experimentation accentuate the importance of play in supporting emergent literacy in early childhood classrooms. These experiences were meaningful to our children as they helped them to explore their interests and interact with each other. We teachers in Center AM are highly motivated to support our children by observing the beautiful, natural and caring ways they communicate and connect with each other.