The course has a unique combination of three learning pillars, which helps children take important little steps towards developing the skills needed for successful language learning. A focus on early literacy, oracy and creativity means children can communicate, collaborate and express themselves confidently, laying the groundwork for their next step into primary. Explore beautiful stories with your learners that develop rich, natural vocabulary, along with emotional competencies and values. In each unit, there's a Big Question to investigate from a variety of angles.

Research and Methodology

With its unique combination of three learning pillars – early literacy, early oracy and creativity – Cambridge Little Steps empowers children to reach their full potential. Children become confident and effective communicators with inquiring minds, who can think laterally and make the most of life’s opportunities in the 21st century.

Early literacy

The ability to read, write and communicate “connects people and empowers them to achieve things they never thought possible” (International Literacy Association website). There is evidence that the following combination of literacy approaches has a positive effect on children’s learning:

• Storytelling,
• Dialogic reading,
• Phonics and activities that develop knowledge of letters and sounds (Education Endowment Foundation website).

All these components form part of Cambridge Little Steps which offers language development alongside early literacy development to help children start reading and writing.

‘Oracy' is to speaking what numeracy is to maths or literacy to reading and writing’ (English Speaking Union website). It is our ability to speak confidently in a variety of situations, from presentations in front of an audience to participating in group discussions and collaborative activities.

Our early oracy program developed with experts at Faculty of Education, Cambridge University focuses on helping very young learners to convey confidence when speaking to peers and adults. The oracy activities are clearly labeled and include the following skills:

• Physical: Effective and appropriate expression and delivery (e.g. fluency, pace, voice projection, gestures and posture)
• Linguistic: Clear organisation of thoughts
• Cognitive: clarifying, asking questions
• Social and emotional: Active listening and responding appropriately (e.g. turn-taking)