Help your child to read
Many of us parents can get excited when our kids learn the alphabet. It seems to be a “milestone” that we’re happy to inform others they’ve met. Learning the alphabet by heart, or knowing all your letters, is wonderful but it doesn’t mean our children will find reading & writing easy when they head to school.
Did you know that reading & writing goes far beyond knowing letters & their names?
Here’s the key! Reading & writing is about being able to sound out & decode words, as well as push sounds together to make words.
So if your child is starting school next year, or perhaps your child hasn’t picked up the idea of reading & writing though they’re already at school, try these 3 simple ideas over the Christmas Holidays.
📖 If your child draws or points out a letter they see, attach the sound that letter makes i.e., “Yes, that letter makes the “mmmmm” sound.
📖 Use chalk & draw 4-5 flowers/swirls/stars on the pavement (anything motivating to your child). Give your child a word & help them jump out the beats in that word, using each picture to jump onto. Use words of varying length i.e., um-bre-lla (3 beats), ti-ger (2 beats), hel-i-cop-ter (4 beats). Being able to break up words into smaller parts is a step we all use when we are trying to spell or read new words.
📖 “Guess the word” - a great one for the car. Look around & find an item. Sound out the word, breaking the word up into it’s sounds, so your child can guess what you found i.e., I see a “c-ar” or “sh-o-p”. See if they can guess what you’re thinking about! Understanding that words are made up of different sounds, is the magic key to when it comes to kids learning to read & write.
About the writer:
Lauren is a speech pathologist who has over 15 years experience working with children and teenagers who present with a range of learning and communication difficulties. Lauren is passionate about helping others and loves to find simple and creative ways to make learning fun!
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