For example, preschoolers can bring in food labels, magazines, favourite videos and books in different languages. They can also prepare their own shopping lists, write notes, create bills and keep lists of things to do. Developing literate competence in preschoolers requires that they learn new rules. For example, creating shopping lists taps literate behaviours that are different from narrating or persuading. Although it is expected that children entering grade 1 will already have acquired the cultural and linguistic practices that are part of the school culture, many of these children have yet to develop them.
Some children experience contextual similarities of literacy events between home and school.
The many children who do not experience these similarities need to be socialized in patterns of language use related to school cultures. The following example illustrates how interaction through a reading event can facilitate the development of oral and written literate behaviour. In the first instance, children are read to and children and reader discuss the contents orally. While the preceding activities can be done orally, children can also interact with reading materials to promote written literate behaviour. Developing literate abilities at the preschool level sets the foundation for supporting literate behaviour up to the middle grades and beyond.