The Hidden Early Literacy Skills In Play

Early literacy skills are crucial for a child’s growth and play is one of the best ways to support these skills. Learning through play gives children a fun and interactive space to discover language, improve communication and build early reading and writing skills.

Evi, an early childhood educator and parent, reflects on how becoming a parent changed her perspective on teaching early literacy.

As an early childhood educator, I thought I knew all the “best” ways to teach early literacy. But becoming a parent? That changed everything.

Suddenly, I wasn’t planning out structured literacy activities—I was just trying to get through the day. But here’s what I realised: the best learning doesn’t happen in scheduled lessons. It happens in the little moments we don’t even think of as “teaching.”

I’m Evi, an early childhood educator who shares real-life insights for parents navigating the messy, beautiful balance of raising little ones. And if you’ve ever worried that you’re not doing “enough” to support early literacy, I promise—you already are.

Things like playful chatter in the car, building towers on the living room floor, or turning bath time into a storytelling adventure—these are the hidden building blocks of literacy.

And the best part? You don’t need to add anything extra to your day. These moments are probably happening already—you just need to know where to look.

1. Pretend Play | The First Step to Reading & Writing

In the classroom, we call this symbolic representation—the idea that one thing can stand for another.

When kids play chef, doctor, or shopkeeper, they’re not just having fun—they’re learning the same skill they’ll need to understand that letters represent sounds and words carry meaning.

How to encourage it at home

• The Receipt Game: Give them an old shopping receipt and ask them to “read” it out loud (even if they make it up). Let them write their own receipts for pretend purchases.
• DIY Menus & Order Pads: Set up a play café where they take food orders and “write” them down. Even scribbles count!
• Make Play Money: Ask them to design their own money and label it with numbers and words.

Teacher insight: When children start “writing” in pretend play, they’re developing print awareness—the understanding that writing has meaning, even if they can’t read it yet.

2. Building & Puzzles | The Secret to Recognising Letters

In early childhood education, we focus on spatial awareness before formal early literacy skills —because recognising shapes, patterns, and directionality (e.g., flipping puzzle pieces) helps kids differentiate between letters like ‘b’ and ‘d’ later on.

How to encourage it at home:

• Backwards Tower Challenge: Have them build a LEGO tower and then rebuild it in reverse order, strengthening spatial awareness (which helps with tricky letter orientations).
• Puzzle Race: Use letter puzzles but mix the pieces upside down or backwards—it forces their brain to see letters from different angles, just like when reading.
• Shadow Letters: Shine a flashlight behind block structures and challenge them to name which letters the shadows look like.

Teacher insight: If a child struggles with reversing letters when writing, they likely need more hands-on spatial play—not more tracing sheets.

3. Sound Games & Rhyme Play | Phonemic Awareness Without the Flashcards

Before kids learn to read, they need phonemic awareness—the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in words. This skill isn’t built through memorisation but through playful interactions with sounds and language.

How to encourage it at home:

• The “Wrong” Song Game: Sing a favourite nursery rhyme but swap out words with silly alternatives (“Twinkle, twinkle, little toast”). Kids laugh while sharpening their ability to hear sound patterns.
• Beat the Syllables: Clap out syllables in words (ex: “el-e-phant”) and have them stomp, jump, or drum for each sound.
• Mystery Bag Sounds: Fill a bag with objects. Pull one out and say, “I’m thinking of a word that starts like ‘ssss’… Can you guess what’s inside?”

Teacher insight: Kids who play with rhyme, rhythm, and sound patterns early on tend to have stronger reading skills later—because their ears are already trained to hear how words break apart and blend together.

4. Hands-On Writing Prep | Strengthening Muscles for Future Writers

Writing starts long before kids ever pick up a pencil. In early childhood education, we know that fine motor strength develops through everyday play, not forced handwriting practice.

How to encourage it at home:

• Paint With Water: Let them “write” on the sidewalk with a paintbrush dipped in water. It disappears like magic, but their muscles get a workout!
• Clothesline Words: String up a mini clothesline and have them use clothespins to clip letters or words in order. Pinching strengthens the same muscles needed for pencil grip.
• Nature Tracing: Place leaves, bark, or textured objects under paper and let them rub with crayons to “discover” hidden textures. They’re strengthening control while having fun.

Teacher insight: Writing starts in the fingers, not in the pencil—so if your child struggles with grip, focus on strengthening their hands, not making them trace letters.

5. Storytelling & Talking | The First Step to Reading Comprehension

What’s happening: Before kids write, they tell stories—whether through play, drawings, or explaining what happened at the park. This builds comprehension, sequencing, and narrative skills, all of which are crucial for reading later on.

How to encourage it at home:

• “Tell Me Three” Game: After a fun outing, ask:
  1️ What did we do first?
  2️ What was funny or surprising?
  3️ What do you think would happen if we did it again?
  (This strengthens sequencing and predicting—both key reading skills.)
• Dinner Story Swap: Everyone at the table takes turns adding to a silly, made-up story.
• Doodle & Dictate: If they draw a picture, ask them to tell you a story about it. Write down their words and read it back—it makes them feel like real authors!

Teacher insight: The best early literacy practice isn’t drilling letters—it’s talking, storytelling, and asking open-ended questions.

Final Thoughts Literacy is Already Happening

It’s easy to think of literacy as something that happens only with books and letters, but really, it’s unfolding in everyday life. The stories they tell, the games they play, the questions they ask—it all adds up.

So if you’ve ever worried about “teaching” literacy, take a deep breath. You’re already creating the foundation. And if you ever need a reminder that the little things you do every day truly matter, and if you love a real, relatable take on parenting with a mix of teacher insights, you’ll feel right at home at Truthful Tea Talks.

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Evi Van den Eynde

Evi is the voice behind Truthful Tea Talks, a refreshing space where well-being, personal growth, and real-life parenthood moments come together. With her background as an early childhood educator, she shares relatable insights and mindset tips that help others navigate life’s ups and downs. With her love of tea, Evi invites readers to slow down, pour a cup, and embrace the everyday moments that make life beautifully imperfect.