Did you know that a child’s literacy journey begins long before they ever hold a pencil or sound out their first word? At our childcare centre in Prestons, we believe that every song sung, every story shared, and every squiggly line drawn is a powerful step toward a lifelong love of reading and writing.
What Is Early Literacy — and Why Does It Start So Young?
Early literacy is not about teaching toddlers to read. It is about building the foundational skills that make reading and writing possible later on. These include phonological awareness (recognising sounds in words), vocabulary development, print awareness, and the fine motor skills that support writing.
Research in early childhood education consistently shows that children who develop strong pre-literacy skills during their first five years are significantly better prepared for school. At Wiggles & Giggles Prestons, our early learning in Prestons programs are intentionally designed around this evidence — embedding literacy into every part of the day through play, routine, and joyful exploration.
The Power of Songs in Early Literacy
Music and language share deep roots in the brain. When children sing nursery rhymes, action songs, and silly chants, they are doing much more than having fun. They are tuning their ears to the rhythm and patterns of language — a skill directly linked to reading readiness and phonemic awareness.
At our early childhood education centre in Prestons, songs are woven into morning circle time, transitions, outdoor play, and rest routines. Favourites like Down in the Jungle and Hickory Dickory Dock build rhyme recognition, while call-and-response songs strengthen listening and turn-taking skills.
💡Try this at home: Sing the same song every morning during breakfast or bath time. Repetition is not boring for little ones — it is how their brains learn to predict and process language patterns.
Stories That Spark Imagination and Language
Storytime is one of the most powerful literacy tools available to educators and parents alike. When educators at our preschool in Prestons read aloud with expression, pause to ask questions, and invite children to predict what happens next, they are actively building comprehension, vocabulary, and a love of narrative.
But it goes further than books. Storytelling without pictures — using props, puppets, and flannel boards — encourages children to visualise and construct meaning in their own minds. Oral language development is the bedrock of literacy, and rich storytelling environments help children develop sentence structure, descriptive language, and the confidence to express their own ideas.
- Read the same book repeatedly — familiarity builds confidence and comprehension.
- Ask open-ended questions: “What do you think will happen next?”
- Use different voices for characters to make stories come alive.
- Point to words as you read to build print awareness and left-to-right tracking.
Scribbles: The First Step Toward Writing
Every mark a child makes on paper is meaningful. What looks like random scribbling is actually the beginning of emergent writing — children are exploring the connection between marks and meaning, building the fine motor control they will later need for handwriting, and experimenting with the concept that symbols carry messages.
At our childcare centre in Prestons, we provide rich mark-making environments every single day: chalk on the pavement, fingers in sand trays, fat crayons on large paper, and paintbrushes dipped in water on outdoor walls. These open-ended writing experiences align directly with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), supporting children as capable communicators and confident learners.
When children see educators writing — labelling artwork, writing their names, making lists — they begin to understand that writing has purpose. This concept, known as print motivation, is one of the strongest predictors of later literacy success.
How Our Prestons Early Learning Program Brings It All Together
At Wiggles & Giggles, our qualified early childhood educators take a holistic, play-based learning approach guided by the EYLF to nurture every dimension of literacy development. Our planned literacy-rich environments include dedicated book corners, writing stations, and listening areas with audio stories. Intentional teaching moments are balanced with child-led exploration, ensuring children develop agency alongside skills.
Families are our greatest partners in early learning in Prestons. We share weekly literacy tips through our parent communication app, host storytelling evenings, and encourage families to borrow from our lending library — because we know that what happens at home is just as important as what happens in our rooms.
Kindergarten readiness is built here. Children who arrive at school with strong oral language, phonological awareness, and a love of books are better equipped to thrive academically and socially from day one.
