PLAY AND SING TO PRACTICE READING IN ACTION | One thing all children have in common is that they are always on the move! Literacy can easily be integrated into children’s play. Finding ways to be intentional is key to including more literacy. When literacy is integrated in movement and play, it helps to reinforce memory so that
the retention for learning is higher. Children are also using their whole brain to exercise cognitive,
physical, language, emotional, and social skills that they are learning. While children are having fun
playing, they do not even realize that they are learning. This makes play both meaningful and relevant, boosting their ability to remember in the future!
My youngest son loves to play with his older sister, and one day used a microphone in their play.
They were pretending to be singers on a stage while singing a song together. This song had rhyming
words and they enjoyed repeating the sounds. The microphone has also been used to sing the letters and
sounds of the alphabet. Though my son believes he is imitating his favorite singer, he is also learning in
the process. When children can complete rhyming words in songs, this is a key literacy skill that will help
promote early emergent reading. Try to consider what your child enjoys doing and how you can
intentionally integrate literacy in their play. You will be amazed at how many ways children can
practice early reading skills as they Explore Through Movement and Play.
By Airreia Pierce, Author, Educator and Speaker
