An Exploration of the Use of Musical Activities to Promote Foundational Literacy Competencies for Children Aged 3–5 Years

Research into the process of becoming literate mainly focuses on the teaching of the alphabetic principle as a starting point upon school entry. However, experiences, knowledge, and skills prior to this point may determine future success. This research examines how musical activities may be used to foster these foundational literacy competencies. Using a micro‐ethnographic, qualitative design, this study sought to examine the extent to which a daily literacy‐through‐music program of 30–40 min duration, implemented in an area of social deprivation over a six‐week period, for a group of nine participants aged 3–5 years of age, could be successful in promoting the identified foundational literacy competencies. The findings suggested that such a program could facilitate the acquisition of these competencies and as such have unique implications for the pedagogical practice of early years practitioners in the establishing of secure literacy foundations for further formal literacy learning.