Play with letters, words, and sounds! Having fun with
language helps your child learn to crack the code of reading.
Say
silly tongue twisters.
Sing songs, read rhyming books, and say silly tongue twisters. These
help kids become sensitive to the sounds in words.
Play
with puppets.
Play language games with puppets. Have the puppet say something
like, "My name is Mark. I like words that rhyme with my name. I
am going to say some words and I want you to tell me if they rhyme
with Mark. Ready? Does park rhyme with Mark? (Stress
the words park and Mark). Does ball rhyme with
Mark? Does shark rhyme with Mark?" Wait for
your child to answer each question, yes or no. When your child answers
yes to the word shark, the puppet could then pretend to be
a very energetic shark who, of course, wants to tickle your child.
Play
sound games.
Give your child practice blending individual sounds into words.
For example, ask, "Can you guess what this word is? m - o - p."
Say the sound each letter makes rather than the name of the letter.
Hold each sound longer than you normally would. This will help your
child recognize the different letter sounds.
Use
the sounds and letters in your child's name.
Draw your child's attention to the letters in his or her name. Point
out the link between letters and sounds. Say things like, "John,
the word jump begins with the same sound as your name does.
John, jump. And they both begin with the same letter, J."
Trace
and say letters.
One way to help your child learn letter sounds is to have him or
her use a finger to trace a letter while saying the letter's sound
at the same time. You can do this on paper or in a sandbox or on
a plate filled with sugar. Involving touch, sight, and speech in
this way has a powerful effect on learning. Another option is for
you to draw the outlines of a letter using dots and then have your
child connect the dots while also saying the letter sound out loud.
Watch
my lips.
This may feel odd at first, but encourage your child to watch your
lips and mouth while you make certain sounds. Have your child think
about how his or her own lips and tongue move. You can say something
like, "Can you feel how your mouth moves the same way at the beginning
of the words mouse, mom, and man? Watch my mouth while
I say them. Now you say the words and feel your lips make the mmm
sound." Remember to make just one m sound that you hold for
longer than you normally would.
Read
it and experience it.
Help your child make the connection between what he or she reads
in books and what happens in life. If you're reading a book about
animals, for example, relate it to last month's trip to the zoo.
Let
your child choose.
Give your child the chance to pick his or her own books, even if
the reading seems too easy. Easier books build confidence and letting
children choose their own books nurtures independence and their
own interests.
In order to read, young children have to learn that written
words are made up of letters that also represent the sounds we speak.
Reading experts call this skill "phonological awareness." It's a lot
for a five-year-old to figure out.
There are many things parents can do to help kids in this
early stage of reading. Try some of the tips listed above to help your
child recognize that there are different sounds in the words we speak,
that letters on a page represent these different sounds, and that putting
the sounds together makes words. This is a vital step on a child's road
to reading.
But don't make it too serious. Mix it up, be playful,
have fun with language. Remember, not only do we want kids to be able
to read, we want them to want to read.
Reading and literacy are important issues for public television.
More information about reading is available at the new PBS Parents web site. Or check the main Reading
Rockets web site at http://www.readingrockets.org/
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