Little Steps Readiness For Reading Writting And Number Work (A Manual For Pre-School Teachers)

Preface

The present title Little Steps aims at addressing pre-school teachers, both inservice and pre-service. In essence, it seeks to present an approach and open vistas for readiness activities so essential for young children in the age group of 3-6 years. It ventures to specify a number of activities that are necessarily required for preparing children for undertaking reading, writing and mathematics at the beginning of the primary stage.

Demand for meaningful teaching ideas and taking up readiness activities by pre-school teachers provided the stimulus for undertaking the present task. It goes without saying that the pre-school teacher sets the stage for what is taught and learned subsequently. Acquiring quality pre-school experiences is an undeniable necessity of every young child for which teachers have to be professionally trained. A manual of this kind is an instrument for attaining the desired goal. The main aim of its publication has been to help the pre-school teachers, parents and other functionaries of ECCE in planning and conducting readiness activities with children in a child friendly and effective manner.

The children should not be exposed to formal reading.

writing and mathematics. However, these can be informally introduced in a gradual way. The activities furnished in the chapters will serve as an asset for the teachers in transacting them at the preschool stage. Here, a. word of caution seems to be necessary; the teacher may view these activities/ideas more as guiding norms rather than as structured methods and plans. In this regard. flexibility and freedom should remain the catchwords. The suggested activities may, however, be expected to motivate teachers to adopt and adapt ideas that are essentially context and local-specific.