Literacy & Numeracy

 Repetition and practice and learning the basics is key to success in math and in the goal towards achieving financial literacy as an adult.

Numeracy and Literacy

Our team

Understanding and making sense of numeracy and mathematical concepts can be challenging for so many children.  Oftentimes, difficulty in literacy interferes with understanding in math class.  Breaking down concepts, providing a step by step approach or alternative approaches is how I can assist your child.  Repetition and practice and learning the basics is key to success in math and in the goal towards achieving financial literacy as an adult.

Connie Traves

Literacy Specialist

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Aline Ableson

Orton-Gillingham Literacy Specialist

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Early Therapy can…

Research over the past few decades has revealed how the human brain is biologically primed for learning from birth. The early childhood period of children’s lives has a profound impact on their learning and development for the long term. From birth to eight years, children’s developing brains undergo rapid change. This is when children have the greatest opportunities to develop neural pathways for learning and are also most vulnerable to negative experiences. Research underscores the imperative for comprehensive and integrated systems that support children’s learning and development, health and wellbeing in partnership with families. Emphasis is placed on continuity of learning for young children as they move between various settings in the early years, including home, early childhood services and school. An informed understanding of the science of early learning and development guides adults on what children need to thrive and the systems that best support this. 

READING AND WRITING MILESTONES

Before your child begins to read and write Young children are eager learners and can develop literacy skills in a variety of ways. In this stage, your child:


  • Likes to be read to and to look at books or words
  • Learns about words by playing with letter blocks, looking at picture books, playing with magnetic letters, singing songs and reading simple traffic signs or logos on food packages
  • Begins to understand that his or her own thoughts can be turned into text, whether on paper or on a computer, by using pictures, symbols and letters
  • Begins to act like a reader – for example, holds a book or e-reader, or works a computer mouse and pretends to read
  • Begins to act like a writer – for example, holds a pencil, crayon or marker and pretends to write, types on a keyboard, makes letters with modelling clay
  • Uses both recall and pictures to tell the story
  • Is curious and asks lots of questions about his or her world

  • When your child is first learning to read and write

    When children are first learning to read and write, it is important to talk about the ideas they are reading about. This will help build their comprehension skills. In this stage, your child:

    • Begins to match written words to spoken words and to see relationships between sounds and letters
    • Begins to experiment with reading and says words out loud when reading 
    • Finds pictures on the page or screen helpful in understanding the meaning of words
    • Begins to experiment with writing – for example, writes symbols that resemble letters, writes groups of random letters and then eventually writes real words 
    • Ask questions about what he or she would like to learn (encourage this interest!)
    • https://youtu.be/LTaenP58Pzo

  • As your child learns to read and write

    With regular practice, children develop fluency in reading and writing. At the same time, they will also learn to think more deeply about the stories or information that they read. In this stage, your child:

    • Is able to adapt his or her reading to different types of reading materials, recognizes many words or knows how to make sense of words and is willing to try reading new things
    • Writes simple sentences by using real letters, spaces between words and some punctuation.
    • Enjoys writing and shows interest in writing in different ways- for example, writes grocery lists, short emails or texts.
    • Starts to become aware that media are used for different purposes-- for example, to educate, to convey a message or tell you something.
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t7bqPOPkSU&ab_channel=QueenslandDepartmentofEducation

  • As your child becomes a more fluent reader and a clearer writer

    Fluent readers think about what they are reading in the context of other experiences they have had. In this stage, your child:

    • Connects ideas and experiences in print to his or her own knowledge and experience.
    • Predicts events in a story.
    • Values reading and does so on his or her own.
    • Extends reading skills to writing and begins to:  
    • Uses a variety of strategies to spell words
    • Uses a variety of sentences types
    • Writes about things he or she cares about (family, friends, games, pets etc)
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeDBTbitPX8&ab_channel=SanBdoCitySchools

  • As your child continues to grow as a reader and writer

    Critical literacy is the practice of examining and discussing the underlying messages in print or in other media in order to understand the world in which we live. Children are practising critical literacy skills when they think about the purposes for writing and talk about how texts (that includes books, websites, magazines, posters and so on) represent different points of view, beliefs and perspectives. In this stage, your child:

    •  Is able to read and understand different types of texts more precisely and quickly and with expression 
    • Is able to read, write and create a variety of media to express opinions and points of view (such as creating and watching videos, blogging, and reading graphic novels) 
    • Is interested in the social aspect of reading and writing and enjoys sharing thoughts and ideas about the texts he or she chooses (such as by sharing ideas in discussion with friends, on social media sites and through instant messaging)
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwFRA19PUvs&ab_channel=jparkerslp

Should my child see a literacy and numeracy specialist?

Keep an eye out for signs your child may need some extra help during their development:


  • Preschool children may reverse sounds when they say words. They may also have difficulty with rhymes or with naming and recognizing letters.
  • School age children may read more slowly than other students in the same grade. Because reading is hard, they may avoid tasks that involve reading.
  • They may not understand what they read and may have a hard time answering questions about texts.
  • They may have trouble with putting things in sequential order.
  • They may have difficulty with pronouncing new words.
  • In adolescence, teens and young adults may continue to avoid reading activities.
  • They may have trouble with spelling or learning foreign languages.
  • They may be slow to process or summarize what they read.

What can I do while I wait?

There are a variety of ways for parents/caregivers to assist their children in developing communication skills. Below is a list of some ideas to encourage communication development with your child. We encourage you to explore the following resources: 


For some fun things for you to do with your child, including interactive literacy games and videos, visit: 

Preschool www.tvokids.com/preschool/language-preschool

School Age www.tvokids.com/school-age/language

WHAT PARENTS CAN DO

You are your child’s most important ally and advocate, and there is a lot you can do to improve your child’s reading ability and academic outlook:


  • Talk to your child. Stay positive, discuss solutions, and encourage an ongoing dialogue.
  • Read aloud. Even reading the same book again and again can help children associate letters with sounds.
  • Pace yourself. Celebrate small milestones and successes, and develop hobbies and interests that are separate from reading, so your child can experience success elsewhere.
  • If you are concerned about your child's academic progress, reach out to your child's teacher. they have many resources that you can utilize in the home, when building and working on your child's skills and abilities

RESOURCES