Background Knowledge Builds Language and Literacy

If I told you that supporting your child's background knowledge can make them better talkers and readers, would you be on board? Silly question. Of course you would! So, how can you make this happen?

This post provides a brief description of what background knowledge is, why you should care and what you can do about it. By the end of this post you should feel validated in all you are already doing to support your child, or feel motivated to pick something new to try and integrate into your routine.

What is it?

Background Knowledge is the information that children learn, store in their minds and continue to build on from life experiences, cultural knowledge, conversations, interactions etc.

Why should you care?

It provides a foundation for language and literacy growth for babies and children of all ages. That's something I can definitely get on board with!

What can you do about it?

So much! I've shared four ideas to get your started.

1. Babies and infants - responding to physical needs (feeding, comforting, swaddling etc) is one of the earliest ways to help develop background knowledge. As your baby learns that you respond to them, they integrate that into their life experiences. Creating a foundation of trust with your baby sets the stage for future background knowledge.

2. Talk about routines (“tomorrow we are planning to…” or “today we went ….”).

3. Activate senses - Talk about sights, sounds, tastes and smells when out and about (parks, cultural celebrations, grocery store etc).

4. Read (age appropriate) non-fiction books aloud as a preview or follow up to activities. For example, if visiting a farm, look at pictures of real animals/farm equipment/farmers and connect it to the experience you had or are going to have (“We learned that cows have 4 stomachs! I see a cow over there! I wonder which stomach his food is in right now.”)

By using these suggestions (some of which you are probably already doing),

your child creates associations with different experiences and builds background knowledge. As they continue to develop more knowledge over time they create stronger language connections, which creates a foundation for literacy skills. For readers, being able to have an experience and connect it back to something they read, or vise versa they are continuing to build those skills.

How will you get out and get talking to support your child's background knowledge today?