Beyond Books: New NZCER Research Urges Broader View Of Literacy In Early Childhood

The latest report from New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) provides a fresh perspective of literacy in early childhood, suggesting a wider, more inclusive view of the subject.

Strengthening early literacy practice: Exploring story sharing in diverse, equity-funded kindergartens explores how young children shared and experienced stories in early childhood education (ECE) settings. It shows that literacy in early childhood is vibrant and multimodal—while books, reading and writing are important aspects of literacy learning, tamariki also tell stories through movement, music, drawing, roleplay, photos, and conversation.

“Literacy doesn’t only happen when tamariki pick up a pen or read a sentence,” notes lead author Amanda White. “It’s spatial, it's visual, they make meaning using their whole bodies – in their dances, their waiata, their art, the photos they point to, and the stories they share from home.”

The research, conducted in partnership with Hutt City Kindergartens, found that kaiako played a vital role in recognising and nurturing these diverse story practices. It also highlights the importance of whānau knowledge in supporting rich, culturally grounded literacy experiences for children aged 2-5 years. White continues:

“Kaiako are supporting story sharing for multiple children, from multiple cultures, in multiple languages, all at once – we observed an immense level of skill and care in the kindergartens to support this facet of literacy.”

However, current pressures on teachers and families—plus expectations around ‘school readiness’—risk narrowing this view of literacy, potentially leaving children’s strengths and identities unseen.

“Multimodal storytelling builds identity, connection, and confidence,” says White. “If we want equitable literacy outcomes, we need to value the many ways tamariki make meaning in early childhood.”

The report calls for greater recognition of story sharing as a highly valuable—and joyful—literacy practice, and for education systems to support the full range of ways children express themselves.

Strengthening early literacy practice: Exploring story sharing in diverse, equity-funded kindergartens is now available from the New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

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