My toddler is hissing like a pantomime villain as she runs along an S-shaped snake made from sticky tape curled across the living room floor.

This may appear to be just another freestyle game in her eclectic entertainment repertoire (and believe me, she has many, from pretend shopping to scribbling on walls whenever I'm not looking).

But this particular activity can apparently be described as "educational" and is an early step in that arduous task facing almost every parent: teaching their children how to read and write.