The circle of development always starts at the cradle of the young. As in a saying that “educate the child, educate a society’ hence, the child as a human being need directions as well as nurturing of available cultures of which every human being should know, for the purpose of pursuing and achieving goals in life.
However, the potential of every human achieving goal is linked to the quality of information in their domain. This can be available when they have adequate knowledge of information literacy. The child today in our society faces many challenges that cripple that ability to think critically on their way towards life due to deficient literacy skills. We can ascribe information literacy skills to what every practices we can find in our society, for instance a Southern Nigerian Ejio fisher man is responsible to expose the child to the act of making a living from scanning river banks for catfishes and knowing how to differentiate toads from targeted catfishes and catching the fish of value for sales In the market, and also know the cost to each size of the catches. literacy means the ability to read and write, however, it goes beyond the single meaning as it applies to how we communicate in society and the social practices and relationship, about knowledge, language and culture. A child reading skill is important to their success in school and work. Research has identified five early reading skills that are all essential. They are:
Phonemic awareness – being able to hear, identify, and play with individual sound (phonemes) in spoken words.
Phonics – being able to connect the letters of written language with the sounds of spoken language.
Vocabulary –the words kids need to know to communicate effectively.
Reading comprehension – being able to understand and get meaning from what has been read.
Fluency (oral reading) – being able to read text accurately and quickly.
How can we make reading part of our family’s lifestyle?
Boyse (2010) point out that parent’s play a critical role in helping their children develop not only the ability to read, but also an enjoyment of reading. He highlighted four strategies to help children develop in the area of reading which are as follows:
Turn off the tube. Start by limiting your family’s television viewing time.
Teach by example. If you have books, newspapers and magazines around your house, and your child sees you reading, then your child will learn that you value reading. You can’t over-estimate the value of modeling.
Read together. Reading with your child is a great activity. It not only teaches your child that reading is important to you, but it also offers a chance to talk about the book, and often other issues will come up. Books can really open the lines of communication between parent and child.
Hit the library. Try finding library books about current issues or interests in your family’s or child’s life, and then reading them with the child. For instance, read a book about going to the dentist prior to your child’s next dental exam, or get some books about seashore life after a trip to the coast. If your child is obsessed with dragons, ask your librarian to recommend a good dragon novel for your child.
There are many ways to include reading in your child’s life, starting in babyhood, and continuing through the teen years. Focus on literacy activities that your child enjoys, so that reading is a trait, not a chore.
How do you read to a baby?
Use small, chunky board books that your baby can easily hold onto.
Talk about the pictures with your little one.
Sing the text to keep baby’s attention
Play peek-a-boo with lift-the-flap books
Help your baby touch and feel in texture books.
One thing of note is that pediatrics experts have recommends daily reading to children beginning by six months of age. It is also worthy of note that some savvy school library develop programs which is titled “catch ‘Em in the Cradle” a popular program that originated in Florida USA, is a good effort libraries in developing countries should copy. Another development is that new parents receive library information kits through hospitals, adoption centre’s, and even prenatal classes. These kits generally contain information on how to stimulate a baby’s language development through games, songs and other activities. They also include lists of books for babies, books on parenting and so on. It is advised that if no such programs are available in your local public library, ask the librarian to put one together.
However, literacy being the key to reading and writing is not complete without information. Hence information literacy is a board term that comprises four basics for knowledge. The ability to understand a gap in knowledge, seeking where to satisfy these gaps , identifying needed solutions and critical use of these solutions to satisfy the need or gap in knowledge. Hence in affirmation to child and human development, information literacy is center to what will be the ability to achieving goals and objective in their lives.
Another exposition to what information literacy means in a similar view is the understanding of needs, how to seek, where to find, how to select and ways to interpret and use information on the courses of needs. Simple as it is, this is the same situation to what is attainable in modern society where schools are stationed for providing essential knowledge and grooming the child into a special member of the society.
An English philosopher Francis Bacon once said that "knowledge is power". However, one cannot be knowledgeable and powerful, if one does not have relevant information to empower his/her thinking and enhance his/her understanding . Ajibero (2012) stated that Information has been universally viewed as a basic resource which all people including special children use to improve their condition of living and is essential to developmental process. In the same vain other scholars like Uhegbu (2007) opined that information is a common term, something that changes a person’s state of knowledge in a subject that affect or influences individuals in the conduct of their business. For this reason, at every stage of human development, information is required. Conjecturally, the CNN, Christiana Amanpour notes, information is life, information is power, information is security, information is money, and information is business. Hence it is necessary to inculcate information literacy in the child to grow as well as develop valuable achievement in their lives and being a good citizen.
Information Literacy Skills needed to Survive in 21th Century for the Child are as follows:
Computer operating skill
Identifying controlled content to avoid
Approaching librarians with questions relating to their needs
Developing clear and direct questions to get answers
Humor and respect for elders
Learn how to use vocabularies
Security consciousness and care
Proper health care awareness
How to plan studying time/ leisure time
Respect for individual privacy and confidentiality
Documenting each day or think through paper
Keeping a dairy and words register.
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