Child development & literacy glossary
Plain-language definitions of child-development and early-literacy terms: phonological awareness, shared reading, milestones, fine motor skills and more.
Clear definitions of the child-development and early-literacy terms used across this academy.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Shared reading | An adult and child reading a book together, talking about it as they go. |
| Dialogic reading | A style of shared reading where the adult prompts the child with questions and builds on their answers. |
| Emergent literacy | The early skills and knowledge about reading and writing that develop before formal reading. |
| Phonological awareness | Hearing and playing with the sounds in language — rhymes, syllables and individual sounds. |
| Phonics | Linking sounds to letters to decode words. |
| Vocabulary | The set of words a child understands (receptive) or uses (expressive). |
| Receptive language | Language a child understands. |
| Expressive language | Language a child produces. |
| Milestone | A typical skill most children show around a certain age; a general marker, not a strict deadline. |
| Fine motor skills | Small, precise movements — like turning pages or holding a crayon. |
| Gross motor skills | Large movements like crawling, walking and running. |
| Attachment | The emotional bond between a child and their caregivers that supports security and learning. |
| Self-regulation | A child's growing ability to manage emotions, attention and behaviour. |
| Print awareness | Understanding how print works — that text carries meaning and is read in a direction. |
| Narrative skills | The ability to follow and tell a story with sequence and cause. |
| Screen-free time | Periods without screens, valuable for play, talk and shared reading. |