Premier Preschool Nurtures Literacy Skills at All Ages

Research shows that the first five years of a child’s life hold the most potential for development – consider it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for learning! During these years, it’s crucial to nurture early literacy skills, like rhyming and letter and sound recognition, which lay the groundwork for fundamental abilities such as reading, writing and spelling.

As with any skill or subject, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching literacy skills, especially since children learn to read and write at different rates and ages. At Primrose School of Ashburn, teachers understand the need to support children based on their individual needs. The Primrose-exclusive approach, called Balanced Learning®, offers varied experiences that spark children’s curiosity regardless of their learning style through a balance of purposeful play with nurturing guidance from teachers.

“Balanced Learning is special because it takes into consideration children’s developmental levels and provides different, connected experiences so that they can learn in their own way and at their own pace,” said Adela Taboada, Owner of Primrose School of Ashburn. “Whether it’s literacy skills, motor skills, music, arts, science or life skills, the learning is just natural and fun for the children.”

The Balanced Learning Approach to Reading and Writing

Every day, Primrose children participate in literacy lessons that are taught in a fun, game-like way. Using rhymes, poems and songs, children exercise oral fluency skills – the ability to communicate clearly – and memory, comprehension skills, new vocabulary and phonological awareness. Similarly, children are guided by teachers at the classroom Writing Center to practice writing at their own level, using meaningful writing activities.

Part of what makes Balanced Learning unique is that these literacy lessons are woven into classroom experiences throughout the day. For example, teachers explain and use appropriate higher-level math, science and engineering vocabulary during STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) experiences. Throughout the day, children sing songs and recite poems frequently to develop their oral fluency – an important step toward learning to read. Additionally, children engage in meaningful writing projects that vary from drawing or listing their observations as part of an age-appropriate science experiment to creating thank you notes for loved ones during character development lessons.

“At Primrose, we give children opportunities throughout the day to practice reading, speaking, listening and
writing to help them view these skills as not only important, but also a natural and enjoyable part of their
everyday lives,” said Adela Taboada. “Children experience the activities as play and fun, but in reality, each element of the Primrose approach is designed with a purpose to help them develop the foundational skills they need to succeed later on.”

Encouraging Reading and Writing Skills at Home

Parents can encourage literacy skills at home through simple activities, like reading with and talking to children, which has been proven to benefit language skills from the time children are born. Examples of other activities that support literacy skill development include:

• Reading cardboard books with infants and toddlers so they can hear language while turning the pages and pointing to familiar objects on the page.
• Practicing animal noises with toddlers to help them identify and replicate different language sounds.
• Playing rhyming games with preschoolers, like trying to name as many words that rhyme with “cat.”
• Encouraging both gross and fine motor skill development, which aid children in learning to write.
• Running and climbing outdoors builds gross motor strength, and stacking and dressing activities grow fine motor skills.
• Making writing easily accessible for children by setting up a writing/drawing table in a common area at home with paper, crayons, markers and more.

No matter how children are exposed to literacy concepts, they respond best when we relate reading and writing activities to what they love. Write letters to heroes if your child is a superhero fanatic, or read books about ballerinas if your child loves to dance. Connecting literacy lessons with children’s favorite things will help them view reading and writing as fun activities rather than skills to be learned.

To learn about the Primrose School of Ashburn, visit www.PrimroseAshburn.com or call 703-724-9050. For the new campus, the Primrose School of Ashburn at Broadlands, visit www.PrimroseBroadlands.com or call 703-724-4200.