ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the notions of play and literacy learning. It reviews the ways in which educators, including parents and other caregivers, promote children's literacy learning. This requires some unpacking of the concept of teaching and seeing how different kinds of teaching can relate to different conceptions of literacy. It also means being clear about how home learning can differ from institutional learning. From a sociocultural standpoint, the chapter presents a framework for seeing how children's early literacy development can be facilitated and argues that it has implications for practical action, particularly in family literacy programs. There are variations in terms of how far the teaching of reading is integrated with the teaching of writing. There are variations in the concept of literacy, which it is the aim of the teaching to impart. Teaching approaches—professional and nonprofessional—also vary in which aspect or level of literacy they prioritize.
