Alphablocks magazine: new pre-school title supports growing interest in pre-school learning

A new pre-school title, Alphablocks magazine, has launched this month to help the growing number of parents who want to support their child’s reading and writing in a fun and creative way before they start school.

A survey of 1,000 UK parents, conducted on behalf of Alphablocks magazine via Immediate Media’s Parenting websites, found that 88% of parents think it’s important to help their child learn to read and write before they start school. This is even though just 43% of the adults surveyed were helped to read and write by their own parents before starting school.

Aimed at pre-schoolers aged 3-5 years – and based on the popular CBeebies TV programme of the same name – Alphablocks magazine is the only title that supports phonics, a technique that helps children learn to read using letters and sounds. The title provides parents with an engaging and affordable resource that they can enjoy with their children and use to support their learning from an early age.

Phonics is now high on the government’s education agenda, with all children to be given a phonics-based progress check in year one*.This survey’s findings suggest that this may have influenced the current generation of parents who are now more concerned with giving their pre-school children a good grounding in literacy.

The survey also found that adults who had learned to read and write with their own parents had fond memories of the experience and wanted to instil the same positive attitude towards books and reading with their own children. They also wanted home learning to be fun and playful, rather than structured.

Stephanie Cooper, editor of Alphablocks magazine, said: “As we start the summer holidays, a lot of parents with young children will be thinking about giving their children a head-start before they start their first term at school. Learning to read and write should be fun and a chance for parent and child to bond, share a sense of achievement and create happy memories of learning to read. Alphablocks magazine gives them the chance to embark on a learning journey together, through reading and making words all with the aim of giving children a strong, confident start with literacy.”

Alphablocks magazine is priced at £2.50 and is available now at all major retailers and independents around the UK.

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Notes to editors:
For more information, or to arrange an interview with Stephanie Cooper, editor of Alphablocks magazine, who has a background in teaching and educational needs, please contact:

Jo Franks, Immediate Media Press Office 0208 433 2208 or email joanna.franks@immediate.co.uk

Background Facts
Source:

Survey by Immediate Media Co websites Made for Mums and BabyExpert of 996 adults in July 2012, on behalf of Alphablocks Magazine.

* From education.gov.uk press notice updated 26 April 2012 http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a0068420/reading-at-an-early-age-the-key-to-success What is phonics? Phonics helps very young children learn the sounds they need to read and the rules are simple. Each letter in the alphabet makes a sound – only one sound. A makes the short sound as in apple. B is for bee – b-b-b-b! C is for carrot – C! D is for duck – d-d-d-d, and so on. Letters blend together to make words – c-a-t, cat. Some letters pair up to make new sounds – s-h, sh. Letters and sounds are at the centre of phonic learning.