Reading, even in the digital age, is probably one of the most important skills that children acquire. It can be an important source of pleasure which also develops vital language and social skills. It is fundamental to most school activities, it can also open up new worlds and give access to the wealth of human knowledge.
The Our Story app that has been developed by child psychologists and other specialists at the Open University enables young children to take part in fun games which can help develop interests and skills that will be relevant to them when they start to read.
If you are interested in seeing our app then use the following links:
This page has a range of information about using our app, about child development and about the Open University’s work in this area, suggests ways to use the app, and explains why we think the app will be fun and help children’s learning. We also give background information about reading for those who want to understand more about child development.
The app was developed by Professor Messer with Natalia Kucirkova, Dr Denise Whitelock, and Paul Hogan.
Activities
Our Stories is special because it allows you to create your own personalised icards (like flashcards) and stories. This means that any icards you create or story you write, will be intrinsically meaningful to you and your child. Building on previous experiences and knowledge is very important for developing children's memory skills and has been found to help reading development. Also, building a story based on children's own lives has been shown to increase children's social skills such as self-esteem and self-confidence. Your and your child's personalised stories are unique in the way they celebrate your skills, knowledge and experience. Furthermore, the application can be adapted to various levels of children's abilities, making it not only a flexible but also sensitive way to target each child's individual needs and differences. This is an essential feature of successful learning processes, as we know that children learn better and faster in positive and comfortable learning environments.
(The ages we give are for guidance only; bear in mind there is considerable variation among children)
Icards
The Icards are similar to 'Flashcards' so the pictures and/or words can be shown to children to help them remember and identify words or phrases. This can be a very effective way to help children to learn new information, especially when this involves new words and reading.
On our app simply touch one of the top 15 icards at the top of the screen on the use page to fill the screen with the picture and any letters, words, sentences, sounds or speech that you have added.
Helping your child with new vocabulary (from about 9 months)
One activity you could try with the Icards is similar to what has been called the 'original word game'. This simply involves asking children 'what is that?' and if they don't know supplying the answer. This is a very effective way to help young children learn new words. So, for example, you could take a picture of your dog and ask your child 'What is this?' and ask him to point to the picture. You can make this game different by adding noises to the picture such as a cow going 'moo' or adding some speech to the picture such as 'what's this?'
Children usually enjoy learning new words and with our apps, you can make this great fun for them. Remember, it is your tone of voice, excitement, smiling face which accompanies your enthusiasm and encouragement that are all part of the vital ingredient which makes learning fun. If you don't enjoy the game, then your child will probably pick this up and feel the same!
Research shows that children are 'word learning machines', they learn new words at an amazing rate; it is estimated they add 8 words to their vocabulary every day and so by 6 years know up to 6000 words. It also is worth emphasising that the more words a child knows, the better they are likely to be at reading, and making the most of their school education.
Helping your child to identify the sounds in speech (4-5 years)
This game with letters can help with another pre-reading skill that involves understanding that words can be broken down into separate sounds. Showing pictures with the same beginning sounds can help children to pick out particular sounds in a group of words (e.g. bat, ball, bottle, etc), or asking your child to make the beginning sound of the pictures they see.
Often for adults this seems so obvious that it is easy to forget that young children usually treat words as a whole sound and it is difficult for them to identify the separate sounds within a word. There is a lot of research which suggests this skill is very important for reading because one of the major tasks children face is to learn the links between letters and sounds. And the reason we as adults often think this is easy is partly because we have learnt to read!
Helping your child with letters (3-7 years)
Another important pre-reading skill is being able to recognise the letters of the alphabet. On our app you can add a single letter to your picture. So you could choose to show your child sets of pictures with begin with the same letter – for example ball, bat, bun, etc. In this way your child can both start to recognise the letters of the alphabet and also associated each letter with a relevant sound. If your child does not seem to understand or is unhappy with the 'game', try to include words your child is already familiar with - remember to not push things too far, come back in a few months and see if they are happier with the game.
Helping your child read (3-5 years)
For older children you can add the written name to the picture. This means your child will start to see the whole word with a picture and later on, you can ask your child to read the name and later still, read whole sentences.
The storyboard
With the apps' storybook, you can put your pictures together in a sequence to make a story for your child – or you can do this as a shared activity with both of you making up the story. You can add words, sentences or whole paragraphs to accompany your pictures, you can even add sound to the story to make it more 'live'.
Some of the most famous children's books were initially written for the author's own children and with the apps, there are no limits to your imagination: you can create a story about any experience you or your child have had, a thing your child is interested right now, a special day you spent with family or friends. You can create a story about your community or a family celebration you want him or her remember, you can create a story which teaches your child some valuable lessons, such as the value of sharing, helping each other, conquering our fears, etc.…you can also create a story which teaches your child colours, animals or simply how to enjoy life!
With older children, you can try to take some pictures of things/ activities your child knows and ask him or her to tell you a story about them. Storytelling is an important social and literacy skill which can be easily encouraged with the storyboard on our apps. Children are natural storytellers and you will see how much they love it and how it can develop their imagination!
With our App there are no limits to your imagination, you can create a story about any experience you or your child have had, a thing your child is interested right now, a special day you spent with family or friends. You can create a story about your community or a family celebration you want him or her remember…or a story which teaches your child some valuable lessons, such as the value of sharing, helping each other, conquering our fears, etc
Here are some ideas:
…how I became a …
…how I found…
…how I learned…
…how I managed to…
…how I met with…
…how I discovered/first came to…
…how I helped…
…how I struggled…
…how I went to…
Whatever you think your child will enjoy is perfect, just use, create and enjoy!
When you use the apps with your child, it is important to remember that young children need to enjoy their learning. If they are not enjoying what they are doing, then this can put them off reading activities – so when using the apps, try again when your child is in a better mood and think of ways to play the 'game' which will be more enjoyable.
If you are interested in understanding why we think that personal, shared activities are important and how to promote these please go to OpenLearn. The openLearn url is: http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/education/educational-technology-and-practice/educational-practice/reading-and-child-development
Background
To learn more about child development and reading, explore the following links about Open University Modules.
For those on low incomes financial assistance may be available for Open University modules, click here for further information.
Understanding children
How can you improve a child’s confidence? What do children need to develop their self-esteem? How can being consistent, open and honest help support their personal growth? This introductory course follows a family and asks you to consider the choices and rights of the children as they grow up.
http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/y156.htm
Discovering psychology
How much influence does personality have on the actions we take and beliefs we hold? How does personality work together with the world around us to shape our behaviour? How do other people affect our behaviour? What goes on in the brain when we use language or attend to the world around us? This course will introduce you to the different ways in which psychologists investigate these and other questions, and will show you how psychological research addresses real-life issues.
http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/dse141.htm
Child development
This course shows how psychological enquiry can help us to improve our understanding of the development of children and young people. It’s organised in four parts: Psychological development and early childhood, Children’s personal and social development, Cognitive and language development in children and Developmental psychology in action. This course will be attractive to anyone with an interest in (and concern for) children’s development, including those who work with children and who want to learn more about contemporary theories and research in this area.
http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/ed209.htm
Children’s Literature
This course provides a broad introduction to the vibrant and growing field of children’s literature studies. You will study children’s literature in English ranging from its beginnings in eighteenth-century chapbooks and fairy tales, through seminal nineteenth-century novels, to contemporary examples of fiction illustrating current trends. The course also includes the study of picture books old and new, stage performance and film, storytelling and poetry. You will learn about the distinctiveness and purposes of children’s literature, its prestigious and popular modes and its different representations of children’s worlds.
http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/ea300.htm
Understanding children's development and learning
This is a postgraduate course, designed for teachers, psychologists and those involved with children who are interested in up-to-date information and theory. It explains how theoretical and methodological frameworks contribute to understanding developmental change and how psychological research can inform educational and clinical practice. Block 3 focuses on learning disabilities including dyslexia.
http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/course/ed841.htm
You can listen to our podcast for advanced students on http://podcast.open.ac.uk/oulearn/education/podcast-ed841-exploring-language-difficulties
Difficulties in Literacy Development
This postgraduate course will serve teachers and other professionals in mainstream and special schools, colleges and other educational settings. It aims to raise the standard of all students’ literacy levels and increase awareness of the barriers to learning some students face. You’ll explore and reflect on appropriate curriculum responses to the needs of children, and wider issues relevant to adults who experience difficulty in literacy development.
http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/course/e801.htm