Literacy and numeracy
Literacy and numeracy are 2 of the general capabilities embedded within the Australian Curriculum.
Students need these basic literacy and numeracy skills to be able to participate fully in school and life. You can help by supporting your children at home, or becoming involved in school programs.
Contact your school to volunteer to help in the classroom. School contact details are available by phoning 13 QGOV (13 74 68) or searching the schools directory.
Literacy
Children's motivation and achievements improve when their parents are involved in their education.
You can help develop your child's literacy by:
- talking to them and engaging in conversations with them
- encouraging reading and writing in as many different ways as possible
- talking about TV shows, advertising material, signs and other everyday language events
- discussing the meaning of books, stories, movies and how they differ according to who they are written for
- talk about magazine and newspaper articles
- comparing favourite authors, books and movies
- discussing new and unusual words or phrases
- playing games that involve enjoyment of words such as Scrabble or 'I spy'
- showing that you value books and reading by visiting local libraries or swapping books with friends.
Numeracy
Numeracy is needed to solve problems and make sense of time, numbers, patterns and shapes. It's used for everyday tasks like cooking, reading a map or playing sport.
You can encourage numeracy learning by:
- using mathematical language—how much, how big, how small, how many
- pointing out examples of numbers, patterns and shapes in your day-to-day life
- talking about the use of money for shopping, budgets and credit cards
- estimating, measuring and comparing
- talking about the steps involved to solve a problem
- using timetables, calendars and clocks
- playing number games.
Resources
For children of all ages
- Literacy and numeracy activities and fact sheets
- Literacy and numeracy at school
- Literacy and numeracy parent resources
- Fun and educational websites
- National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)
For young children (Prep–Year 3)
Do you need some more help?
Contact your school if you need some more help with improving your child’s literacy and numeracy skills. School contact details are available by phoning 13 QGOV (13 74 68) or searching the schools directory.