Whether as a result of holidays abroad or the early introduction of a language other than English into the curriculum, most young children are aware that other people 'say things differently'. The fact that many of them write them down differently underlines this dramatically.
Since the achievement of literacy in English requires hard work on the part of both practitioners and children, it might seem too much of a complication to introduce them to other alphabets until much later in their education. Yet here, as elsewhere, the foundations of later learning are crucial. Some appreciation of the fact that other alphabets exist can help young children understand that writing is not a complicated mystery, but simply a way of putting words down on paper.
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