The chapter begins with a review of foundational studies on how monolingual children develop emergent literacy, then moves to explore how children develop multiliteracy by learning to interpret symbols and icons in their immediate contexts. The research shows that children find ways to experience and construct meaning from their local scripts in each of their multiple languages. Studies presented in this chapter show that children can interpret symbols in several different scripts, and that they find strategies to navigate multiple languages and become competent speakers in their communities.

Stimulating emergent literacy is one of the main goals of early childhood education. In order to accomplish this, the orientation to different aspects of literacy can be integrated into classroom interaction, as is shown in Chapter 10 of this Handbook. We demonstrate how early childhood educators can use children’s spontaneous attention to written text as a base for meaningful interaction by explicating their own acts of literacy and by talking with children whenever they read and write themselves. We also demonstrate how attention to literacy can be incorporated into shared reading interactions, by orienting the children to the structure of a story, the role of a book title and their understanding of the story. In addition, early childhood educators may organize meaningful activities in which children discuss literacy issues in peer interaction, while trying to write and to construct texts together. Illustrated by everyday examples, this chapter stresses the importance of eliciting meaningful teacher-child interaction and peer interaction around written text.