Foundation English (Australia): what children learn and how to help
Foundation children in Australia are usually aged 5–6 and are working on three main things in reading and writing, following the Australian Curriculum (version 9.0), set by ACARA. This guide explains each one in plain English, with something to try at home and practice prompts you can use today.
What Foundation focuses on
Punctuation & Capital Letters
Curriculum reference: AC9EFLA09 · Foundation Language
Starting sentences with a capital letter, ending them with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark, and using capitals for names.
Try at home
Write a short note together and check every sentence begins and ends correctly.
Creating Short Written Texts
Curriculum reference: AC9EFLY06 · Foundation Literacy
Writing a few connected sentences for a purpose, such as a short story, label, caption or message.
Try at home
Ask your child to write a three-sentence note to a family member about something that happened today.
Comprehension Strategies
Curriculum reference: AC9EFLY05 · Foundation Literacy
The habits good readers use to understand a text: predicting what comes next, re-reading when something does not make sense, and picturing what is happening.
Try at home
Pause halfway through a book and ask, 'What do you think happens next, and what in the story makes you think so?'
How much should they write?
A good target for a early years piece at this level is just a few short sentences, which is about 10 words when practising in LiteracyLab AI. Short and regular beats long and rare: one carefully improved piece teaches more than three rushed ones.
Three practice prompts to try this week
- Write a short message to someone you love.
- What is the weather like today? Write two sentences.
- Draw your favourite animal and write two sentences about it.
Want more? Try the free prompt generator for this age group.
Common questions
How much should a Foundation child write?
Just a few short sentences, or about 10 words is a sensible target for practice. Quality matters more than length.
What are the main skills at this level?
Punctuation & Capital Letters; Creating Short Written Texts; Comprehension Strategies. Each is explained above with something to try at home.
How do I know if my child is on track?
Compare their writing with the three focus areas above and ask their teacher for a view. A tool such as LiteracyLab AI can show, for each piece, what worked and the next step, but your child's teacher knows their progress best.
How to give feedback at home
- Keep it short and happy: two or three sentences, often, is better than one long session.
- Let your child read their writing aloud to you. Ask what they would add.
- Praise one specific thing, such as a good capital letter or a lovely describing word.
Get feedback on Foundation writing
LiteracyLab AI reads a child's own writing and gives specific feedback: what worked, one thing to try next, and a corrected version, matched to their year and curriculum. The Free plan includes 3 pieces a month and needs no card.
States and territories adapt the Australian Curriculum, so check how your school delivers it.