Educational Support

It is common for parents to want to assist their child’s literacy and numeracy learning by providing additional support within the home environment.

There are a variety of ways to incorporate literacy and numeracy learning into everyday life, including:

• Developing a language-rich home environment by talking with, and listening to, your child;
• Incorporate word games which focus on developing your child’s phonological awareness skills, including games involving rhyming, syllable division, identifying individual sounds within words, and manipulating sounds within words;
• Reading books to your child and listening to them read aloud; and,
• Using incidental teaching opportunities to develop your child’s understanding of literacy and numeracy concepts. For example, when grocery shopping, ask your child questions such as, “How many apples would you need if each family member gets one apple?”

Additionally, parents may also wish to provide more targeted support at home in order to develop their child’s literacy and/or numeracy skills. When providing targeted literacy and numeracy support, it is important to note that:

• Short, frequent sessions (e.g., 15 to 20-minute blocks, 3-4 times per week) are likely to be of more benefit than one longer session; and,
• Programs or resources being used should be evidence-based, and involve explicit, systematic and sequential teaching of the concepts being learnt.

More Information

For more information regarding how to select a high-quality educational program, as well as examples of recommended programs, please see the Understanding Learning Difficulties – A Guide for Parents  website.