Early Knowing Centre Literacy Activities in the house 69264
Literacy blooms in daily minutes, not simply during circle time on a class rug. If you have a preschooler who lights up at storytime or a toddler who drags a crayon across the wall and calls it a "dragon," you currently know this. The habits that construct positive readers and expressive writers begin with the method we talk, listen, check out print, and play with noises. Families frequently ask what they can do in your home to strengthen what their child discovers at an early learning centre or daycare centre. The brief answer: more than you think, and it doesn't need a teaching degree, a Pinterest board of crafts, or costly materials.
I have actually worked together with educators in licensed daycare programs and community preschools enough time to see which home activities in fact move the needle. These practices feel basic, however they are stealthily powerful when done regularly. They likewise make life with young children more connected and less transactional. Below, you'll discover strategies that fold into hectic routines and still fulfill the requirements that early childcare professionals care about, from phonological awareness to print concepts and oral language.
How early knowing centres approach literacy
A quality early learning centre incorporates literacy across the day rather than separating it early learning centre curriculum to one block. Educators weave in rich vocabulary throughout snack conversations, label shelves to hint print awareness, set out open-ended writing tools, and invite children to determine stories. They prepare small group activities tied to developmental goals: segmenting syllables with claps, matching uppercase and lowercase letters, telling picture series. The technique is spirited but intentional.
When households look up "preschool near me" or "daycare near me," they typically desire reassurance that literacy becomes part of the strategy. Ask how the centre reads aloud, whether kids get to manage books individually, and how composing emerges in tasks. In places like The Learning Circle Childcare Centre, for example, I've seen educators keep clipboards in the block area for "blueprints," include recipe cards to the significant play kitchen area, and rotate nonfiction books to match kids's present fascinations. These options matter more than the size of the library.
Now the home side. You don't require a classroom corner equipped with leveled readers. You need intentionality. The following areas break down what to do, why it works, and what to see for.
Talk initially, always
Reading rests on language. Long before kids connect letters to noises, they learn that words carry meaning and that discussions have shape. The biggest literacy lift in your home comes from high-quality talk, not expensive phonics drills.
Aim for back-and-forth exchanges. If your toddler says "truck," resist the fast "Yes, a truck." Broaden it: "Yes, a shiny red fire engine with a high ladder. It's spraying water." You've added adjectives, syntax, and story elements. At dinner, tell your day in such a way your child can track. Provide exact terms for daily things like whisk, envelope, invoice, and zipper, not just "thingy" or "stuff." Vocabulary grows in context.
On strolls, use time markers: the other day, today, tomorrow. Spatial words too: beside, in between, under, behind. These anchor future understanding. Keep an ear out for their pronunciations and grammar quirks. If your three years of age states, "I goed," mirror back with natural modeling, not a correction that stops the circulation: "Oh, you went to the park. Who did you see there?"
Read aloud like a storyteller, not a narrator
Most households check out at bedtime. That's a start, but literacy prospers when books appear in daytime, noisy-moment, waiting-room life. Scatter them where your child lives: near the shoes, beside the cereal, in the restroom basket. Turn weekly to keep curiosity fresh.
During read-alouds, slow down. Trace a finger under the title. Call the author and illustrator. Explain endpapers or speech bubbles. Without turning the night into a lesson, you are modeling print conventions. Choose books with rhythmic text for toddlers and layered narratives for young children. Mix fiction with nonfiction. A three year old's fascination with buses can carry an information book, a counting reader, and a photo-heavy guide about roadway signs.
Many educators in early childcare programs use interactive methods, frequently called dialogic reading. You can too. Ask "What do you notice?" instead of "What color is the canine?" Time out before turning the page so your child can forecast what takes place next. If they lose interest, pivot: "Let's inform the story with the photos." It still counts.
One care: it's appealing to stop for an understanding test after every page. Keep concerns open and irregular so the story keeps its music. The goal is delight and immersion as much as skill.
Print awareness without worksheets
Children slowly learn that print brings meaning, runs left to right in English, and is made of letters that stay steady. Houses filled with labels and signs serve as mini class. Tape your child's name to their drawer, label pantry bins, write "mail" on a shoebox near the door. When you make a grocery list, state it aloud while writing. Demonstrate how your hand moves across the page. Invite your child to "sign" their art with a scribble, then discuss the letters you see in their name.
Menus, leaflets, calendars, and store invoices are all literacy tools. In the vehicle, checked out signs together. Start with environmental print your child currently recognizes, like logo designs. As interest grows, explain the very first letter of words and the noise it makes. Do this moderately and playfully. If you press too tough on letter-of-the-day worksheets, numerous kids closed down. There will be time later on for official phonics. For now, the motive is noticing, not mastering.
Phonological play in the margins of the day
Phonological awareness is the umbrella term for hearing the noises of language, from big chunks like words and syllables daycare near me reviews to tiny phonemes. This skill anticipates reading success highly, and it establishes through games, not drills.
Turn routines into sound play. At breakfast, clap out syllables in oatmeal, yogurt, straw-ber-ry. En route to a certified daycare or regional daycare, play "I hear with my little ear" and call products that begin with the very same noise: "bus, bin, infant." If that's too easy, attempt ending noises: "truck, stick, bike, look." Keep it short and cheerful.
Kids like rhymes. Check out rhyming books and time out before the rhyme so your child can chime in. If they provide nonsense words, commemorate. Rubbish still trains the ear. For older young children, attempt oral mixing: "I'm thinking about an animal, d-o-g." Have them mix the sounds to say canine. Then reverse it and inquire to sector: "State map. Now state it without m." This can take months to click. When it does, you'll see it overflow into pretend writing and letter interest.
Early writing as meaning making
Writing is not just penmanship. It's the act of putting ideas into visible kind. Let your child draw daily with varied tools: thick markers, triangular crayons, chunky pencils. Deal vertical surfaces like easels or a taped roll of paper on the wall, which develop shoulder and core strength, foundations for later fine motor control.
If your child determines a story, compose it down. Keep it short. Read their words back gradually, pointing under each word. You've simply shown one-to-one correspondence and honored their voice. Save the story in a folder. Over time, children discover that their squiggles change into letter-like kinds, then letters, then strings of letters with spaces. They may compose "I LV DG" and proudly check out "I enjoy canine." Don't remedy it into an ideal sentence. Inquire to read it to you, then go under it and write the standard version in small print. Both variations matter.
Functional writing hooks lots of children better than journaling triggers. Make birthday cards. Leave a note for a sibling on the fridge. Create a sign for the block tower reading "Do Not Tear down." Put a little notepad near the play kitchen so they can take "restaurant orders." These genuine contexts mirror what they see in an early learning centre and after school care programs: writing woven into play.
Storytelling, sequencing, and memory
Narrative skills bridge oral language and reading comprehension. Practice in life. After a journey to the park, ask, "What occurred initially? What next? What at the end?" Use pictures on your phone to make a fast three-picture sequence. Slide between descriptive and causal questions. "Why did the slide feel hot?" encourages connected thinking.
Retell favorite stories with props. A scarf ends up being a river, blocks ended up being homes, packed animals end up being characters. Let your child steer. If they swap the ending, roll with it. This is practice session for understanding plot, viewpoint, and inference.
If your childcare centre near me uses household events, try to find story dictation activities. Educators will scribe your child's words and assist them act it out with peers. You can mirror this at home on a little scale. The arc matters less than the sensation that their ideas bring weight.
Building a book-rich home on a genuine budget
A well-stocked home library does not imply buying fifty brand-new hardcovers. Use what's accessible. Town library are gold, especially when you tap the curator's knowledge. Numerous branches curate "grab and go" bags by style or age. Rotate books weekly or every 2 weeks. Check out yard sales or area swaps. If you can, keep a couple of sturdy board books in the vehicle and a slim paperback in your bag for waits.
Think range. Include poetry and tunes, folktales from your household's heritage, easy graphic novels with big panels, informative texts with photos, and wordless picture books that invite narration. Wordless books establish storytelling in effective methods. Take turns telling what occurs and see how your child's variation shifts over time.
If you are supporting a multilingual family, keep both languages alive in your house library. You do not require translations of the same title, though those can be handy. Much better to have abundant, authentic texts in each language and to speak about the stories.
When screen time assists, and when it gets in the way
Screens can support literacy if you treat them as tools, not sitters. Video calls with grandparents can be language-rich if you prep with your child. Help them prepare to reveal an illustration or inform a narrative. Audiobooks and story podcasts develop vocabulary and attention, particularly during car trips. If your toddler listens to a short story each morning en route to toddler care, that's a constant input of language.
Avoid auto-play spirals that encourage passive watching. Pick apps with open-ended creation over tap-to-animate characters. If your child views a favorite story, follow up by drawing a picture of a scene and labeling it together. Co-viewing matters. When you sit beside them and comment or ask a couple of concerns, screen time ends up being conversation time.
Bridging home and centre: how to partner with educators
Families and teachers share the same objective, even if resources differ. If you are registered at an early learning centre, whether a little licensed daycare or a bigger childcare centre, ask the lead instructor for the current literacy focus. Are they playing with rhymes? Building letter-sound connections for the very first letter in names? Practicing states of shared experiences? Aligning your home activities to those goals provides your child repeating without boredom.
During pick-up, it's appealing to rush. If you can spare 2 minutes when a week, ask for a photo: one strength your child revealed and one next action. Educators at places like The Learning Circle Childcare Centre typically write "finding out stories" and more than happy to provide examples of what to attempt in your home. If you look for "childcare centre near me," include a question to your trips: How do you interact literacy objectives to families?
After school look after older preschoolers and kinders brings a various rhythm. Ask how they approach homework-like tasks. They ought to not be designating worksheets. Rather, they may run book clubs with photo books, puppet theatres, or comic-making stations. Borrow their concepts for weekends.
For the child who withstands books
Not every child merges a lap for stories. Some need to move while listening. That's fine. Try stand-up storytime while your child bounces on a tiny trampoline or builds with magnets. Pause and ask to reveal with their body how a character feels. Offer books that match their fascinations: trains, insects, baking. Attempt high-contrast art or interactive flaps for young toddlers. Keep sessions brief and frequent.
Some children withstand since the text feels too dense. Pick books with fewer words per page and bold images. Wordless books often break through resistance since children manage the speed. Let them "read" to you, even if the story meanders. They are finding out the spine of narrative and practicing expressive language.
If attention wobbles, stop before your child disconnects. State, "We'll read more later on." The objective is keeping books associated with pleasure. Ending up every book is not the badge of honor; returning to books tomorrow is.
When to concentrate on letters and names
Names carry magic. Start there. Lots of early learning centre class have name cards at sign-in. Do the very same at home. Print your child's name in a clear typeface and place it where they can see it daily. Make it a light ritual to "sign in" at breakfast or tape their name above a hook for their backpack if you're headed to a daycare near me. Present uppercase for the very first letter and lowercase for the rest, because that's how print works in books. Gradually, invite them to spot the letter that starts their name in everyday print.
Introduce a handful of letter sounds naturally. Usage preliminary noises in your environment: M for milk, S for soap, B for bed. State the noise, not the letter name, when playing sound video games. If your child asks for more, follow their curiosity. If not, trust the slow develop. Requiring a letter-of-the-week at home can sour interest. The teachers will provide systematic instruction when appropriate.
The function of play in literacy
Play is not a break from finding out; it's the engine. In remarkable play, kids embrace functions, work out scripts, and use language with function. In blocks, they plan, describe, and problem-solve. In sensory bins, they tell pretend worlds. If you equip your home with open-ended products and time for disorganized play, you have set the phase for literacy to flourish.
Add print props to play. A takeout menu in the play kitchen begs to be read. A bus path map in the living-room turns into a pretend commute. Tape a couple of simple labels on racks, like books, puzzles, art, to encourage print awareness and tidy-up abilities. If you go to a preschool near me or a daycare centre, you will likely see these exact same strategies in action because they work and they scale.
A light-touch regimen that sticks
Parents request for schedules. Rigid timetables collapse under real life, but little anchors hold. Here's a simple daily flow that families discover manageable:
- Morning: a brief, playful noise game throughout breakfast or the drive to childcare. 2 minutes is enough.
- Midday: a spontaneous read-aloud of a short book or a page or more of a longer one. Keep books within reach in the kitchen or living room.
- Afternoon: open-ended drawing or composing invitations. Leave paper and markers out. If interest is low, include a purpose like making an indication or a card.
- Evening: a longer cuddle-read or a story podcast before bed. Dim lights, let the voice do the work.
- Weekly: a library go to or book rotation at home. Swap in a few new titles and retire others to keep things fresh.
The routine adapts for families with shifting shifts, brother or sisters, and tight commutes. Miss a block and continue. Consistency throughout months, not excellence each day, builds skill.
Assessment without anxiety
You can see growth without turning your home into a testing center. Expect these markers gradually: richer vocabulary in daily talk, longer attention throughout stories, playful attempts to rhyme or break words into beats, interest in letters in their name, and illustrations that include deliberate marks or letter-like shapes. Kids advance unevenly. A child might leap forward in sound play and stall in interest in print, then switch 6 weeks later.
If your gut flags something, talk with your child's educators. Share what you see at home. Early finding out experts can screen for language hold-ups, hearing issues, or other issues and suggest targeted assistances. Early intervention works best when it's collaborative and low stress.
Making it operate in hectic or multilingual households
Time hardship is real. If you handle several tasks or care for seniors, keep literacy micro. Narrate tasks currently happening. Talk through dishes while cooking. Tell a one-minute story during toothbrushing. Keep a basket of books near the shoes for a five-minute read while putting on boots. The aggregate of small minutes equals a single long session.
In multilingual homes, speak the language you know best when talking and informing stories. Depth matters more than ideal alignment with school language. Kids can transfer narrative structure and vocabulary richness across languages. If your early knowing centre primarily utilizes English and you speak another language in the house, let educators understand. They can prepare supports like visual schedules, gestures, and cognate awareness.
When to look for outdoors help
If your 3 or four years of age programs little interest in responding to sound play over months, has a hard time to follow simple directions regularly, or has persistent trouble producing sounds that restricts intelligibility, bring it up with your licensed daycare teacher or pediatrician. They might recommend a hearing check or a referral to a speech-language pathologist. Lots of services can be accessed through community programs or school districts at no cost for qualified children.
Note the difference between regular developmental quirks and warnings. Mix-ups like "pasghetti" or "aminal" prevail and normally fix. Frustration that results in behavior modifications, or a sudden regression after a duration of development, should have attention.
Connecting with neighborhood resources
Beyond your early learning centre, want to community centers. Libraries frequently run toddler storytimes and preschool literacy play sessions with tunes and movement. Some childcare centres partner with libraries for outreach; ask if yours does. Museums in some cases host early literacy days where kids "read" displays through scavenger hunts and easy prompts. Area moms and dad groups switch books and share ideas about trusted programs.
If you're assessing options and typing "childcare centre near me" into a search bar, tour with a literacy lens. Do you see kids's determined stories posted at kid height? Are there cozy book corners as well as active locations? Do staff connect with kids in discussions rather than regulations just? A centre that values language reveals it on the walls, in the shelves, and in the quality of interactions.
A last word on persistence and joy
Children keep in mind how literacy felt at home. Whether you sit on the flooring with a tattered library copy or scribble a ridiculous note in a lunchbox, you're developing not just abilities however identity: "I am a person who enjoys stories. I can share concepts. Print assists me do it." That belief brings them from toddler care to kindergarten and beyond.
Families and teachers share this work. The Learning Circle Childcare Centre and other thoughtful programs can prime the pump during the day. Nights and weekends give those seeds water and light. It does not take excellence. It takes existence, a couple of routines, and a desire to talk, check out, sing, scribble, and laugh together.
If you're ready to start, choose one modification that feels light. Possibly it's a two-minute rhyme video game at breakfast or a journey to the library this weekend. Add one more next month. Literacy grows like that, step by step, page by page, conversation by conversation.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre – South Surrey Campus
Also known as: The Learning Circle Ocean Park Campus; The Learning Circle Childcare South Surrey
Address: 100 – 12761 16 Avenue (Pacific Building), Surrey, BC V4A 1N3, Canada
Phone: +1 604-385-5890
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.thelearningcirclechildcare.com/
Campus page: https://www.thelearningcirclechildcare.com/south-surrey-campus-oceanpark
Tagline: Providing Care & Early Education for the Whole Child Since 1992
Main services: Licensed childcare, daycare, preschool, before & after school care, Foundations classes (1–4), Foundations of Mindful Movement, summer camps, hot lunch & snacks
Primary service area: South Surrey, Ocean Park, White Rock BC
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Plus code:
24JJ+JJ Surrey, British Columbia
Business Hours (Ocean Park / South Surrey Campus)
Regular hours:
Note: Hours may differ on statutory holidays; families are usually encouraged to confirm directly with the campus before visiting.
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The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus is a holistic childcare and early learning centre located at 100 – 12761 16 Avenue in the Pacific Building in South Surrey’s Ocean Park neighbourhood of Surrey, BC V4A 1N3, Canada.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus provides full-day childcare and preschool programs for children aged 1 to 5 through its Foundations 1, Foundations 2 and Foundations 3 classes.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus offers before-and-after school care for children 5 to 12 years old in its Foundations 4 Emerging Leaders program, serving Ecole Laronde, Ray Shepherd and Ocean Cliff elementary schools.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus focuses on whole-child development that blends academics, social-emotional learning, movement, nutrition and mindfulness in a safe, family-centred setting.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus operates Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm and is closed on weekends and most statutory holidays.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus serves families in South Surrey, Ocean Park and nearby White Rock, British Columbia.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus has the primary phone number +1 604-385-5890 for enrolment, tours and general enquiries.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus can be contacted by email at [email protected]
or via the online forms on https://www.thelearningcirclechildcare.com/
.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus offers additional programs such as Foundations of Mindful Movement, a hot lunch and snack program, and seasonal camps for school-age children.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus is part of The Learning Circle Inc., an early learning network established in 1992 in British Columbia.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus is categorized as a day care center, child care service and early learning centre in local business directories and on Google Maps.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus values safety, respect, harmony and long-term relationships with families in the community.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus maintains an active online presence on Facebook, Instagram (@tlc_corp) and YouTube (The Learning Circle Childcare Centre Inc).
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus uses the Google Maps plus code 24JJ+JJ Surrey, British Columbia to identify its location close to Ocean Park Village and White Rock amenities.
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus welcomes children from 12 months to 12 years and embraces inclusive, multicultural values that reflect the diversity of South Surrey and White Rock families.
People Also Ask about The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus
What ages does The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus accept?
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus typically welcomes children from about 12 months through 12 years of age, with age-specific Foundations programs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children.
Where is The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus located?
The campus is located in the Pacific Building at 100 – 12761 16 Avenue in South Surrey’s Ocean Park area, just a short drive from central White Rock and close to the 128 Street and 16 Avenue corridor.
What programs are offered at the South Surrey / Ocean Park campus?
The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus offers Foundations 1 and 2 for infants and toddlers, Foundations 3 for preschoolers, Foundations 4 Emerging Leaders for school-age children, along with Foundations of Mindful Movement, hot lunch and snack programs, and seasonal camps.
Does The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus provide before and after school care?
Yes, the campus provides before-and-after school care through its Foundations 4 Emerging Leaders program, typically serving children who attend nearby elementary schools such as Ecole Laronde, Ray Shepherd and Ocean Cliff, subject to availability and current routing.
Are meals and snacks included in tuition?
Core programs at The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus usually include a hot lunch and snacks, designed to support healthy eating habits so families do not need to pack full meals each day.
What makes The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus different from other daycares?
The campus emphasizes a whole-child approach that balances school readiness, social-emotional growth, movement and mindfulness, with long-standing “Foundations” curriculum, dedicated early childhood educators, and a strong focus on safety and family partnerships.
Which neighbourhoods does The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus primarily serve?
The South Surrey campus primarily serves families living in Ocean Park, South Surrey and nearby White Rock, as well as commuters who travel along 16 Avenue and the 128 Street and 152 Street corridors.
How can I contact The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus?
You can contact The Learning Circle Childcare Centre - South Surrey Campus by calling +1 604-385-5890, by visiting their social channels such as Facebook and Instagram, or by going to https://www.thelearningcirclechildcare.com/ to learn more and submit a tour or enrolment enquiry.
