• Letter Identification/Reading activities

    LETTER IDENTIFICATION - Home Practice

    Letter Name Recognition - Go through a set of alphabet cards with your child (these may be store bought or can be created at home - index cards can work well). Take out those he/she does not know and review those he/she does not know. 

    Alphabet Slap Game - Spread out the alphabet cards. Say a letter and have your child slap the card. Continue until all or most of the cards are identified.

    Alphabetical Order - Mix up the alphabet cards and have your child put them in alphabetical order.

    Reversed Alphabetical Order - Mix up the alphabet cards and have your child put them in reverse alphabetical order, from Z to A.

    Missing Letter - Put the letters in alphabetical order. Have your child close his/her eyes while you remove one or more cards. Have your child open his/her eyes and identify the missing letters.

    Vowels and Consonants - Identify which letters are vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and which ones are consonants (the other letters of the alphabet). Explain that letters have letter names as well as letter sounds. Have your child divide the alphabet cards into vowels and consonants.

    Consonant Sound Recognition - Follow the same instructions as Letter Name Recognition, only check for letter sound recognition. 

    Tracing Letters in the Sand - Materials: A shallow pan filled with sand. Trace a letter in the sand with your finger and have your child copy the same letter in the sand. Have your child say the letter name, the letter sound, and praise your child for his/her correct responses.

    Letter Hunt - Pick a letter and see how many everyone in the family can find. Look on street signs, cereal boxes, envelopes, in books, etc. Make it a game!

    Sandpaper Letters - Cut the letters of your child's name out of sandpaper. Glue these onto a piece of cardboard so your child can trace his/her name with his/her finger and identify each letter.

    Play Dough Letters - Draw a letter on a piece of paper and have your child roll out pieces of play dough and fit and mold them together to make that letter's shape. Have your child try lots of letters and have lots of fun! 

    Magnetic Letters - Place magnetic letters (capitals and lowercase) on the refrigerator or a cookie sheet. Help your child 
    find and put all of the capital letters in one group and the lowercase letters in another. Next help your child match the 
    correct capital and lowercase letters (B with b, H with h, etc.). Talk about the letter name and the sound that it makes.

    Grab Bag - Materials: A cloth or plastic bag filled with 3-4 letters (the magnetic letters might work well for this activity). 
    Have the child close his/her eyes and reach into the bag of letters and select one. Based on his/her touch only, have him/her identify the letter. Have the child pull out the letter from the bag to see if he/she is correct. Variation: After your child pulls the letter from the bag, have him/her write the letter on a piece of paper, say the name of the letter and the letter's sound. Try mixing upper and lowercase letters in the bag as your child's skills develop.

    Letter of the Day - Materials: Newspaper, construction paper, pencil or crayon, scissors. Choose a letter for the day or go through the alphabet in order, assign a letter for each day. Trace the letter for the day on construction paper and have your child color it and cut it out. Give the child a page from yesterday's newspaper and ask the child to circle the letters on the page that match the letter of the day (both capitals and lowercase). Give assistance as necessary. Snacks, activities, meals, etc. can all be chosen because they start with the letter of the day. Example: On "A" day, apples can be the afternoon snack, visit Andy or Anne for play, go to the aquarium, identify all the As on signs, billboards, and businesses along the way.

    Post-it Notes - Write single letters onto small Post-it Notes and place them on items in the house that begin with the sound made by that letter. Ask your child to identify the letter name and the name of the item. The next step would be to ask your child to put the Post-it Notes on items around the house. Then he/she can show you the items that he/she labels (help your child make corrections if necessary; keep it positive).

    Alphabet Book - Cut a piece of paper into fourths, staple them together on the side, and write an alphabet letter on the cover. Using a magazine that is no longer needed, your child can cut out the target letter and/or pictures that begin with the target letter and glue them onto the pages in the alphabet book. Label the pictures.  
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  • Reading activities

    READING - Home Practice

    Read to Your Child Daily - You may want to establish a nightly routine of a bedtime story. Allow your child to select the story that he/she would like to hear, even if you have already read it 100 times. Repetition is an important part of learning how to read. Often point to the words while you read to help your child make the connection between the oral word and the written text.

    Allow Your Child to Read to You - At first your child will probably just read from memory, sometimes creating a slightly different version of the story. Accept his/her version during this early stage of reading development. A feeling of success can inspire a child to want to learn more letter sounds and more words, and that will lead to improved reading accuracy. Please provide guidance when necessary to your child by assisting him/her in developing the important basic skills (i.e. learning letter sounds) that will enable him/her to confidently achieve the next level of reading.  

    Talk with Your Child About Stories - When reading to your child, start asking questions about the story. Ask how the characters are feeling. Talk about the sequence of events (beginning, middle, and end). Ask your child to predict the ending or make up a different ending. Sound out words together. Look for words that start and/or end with the same letter, words that rhyme, etc.

    Have a Variety of Reading Materials - Select different types of books and have a wide variety of reading materials for your child to choose from (i.e. magazines, newspapers, recipies, nursery rhymes).

    Keep Books in a Special Place - By providing a special place for your child to keep books, you will send the message that books are important.

    Point Out Print in the Environment - Signs, menus, cereal boxes, banners, etc.

    Get a Library Card for Your Child - Make frequent trips to the library and let your child pick out books that interest him/her.

    Give Books as Gifts - Select high quality books that have detailed illustrations. Write a personal message to your child on the inside of the cover. Be sure to sign it and include the date. As your child grows up, these books and messages can bring back fond memories, especially if your child had the opportunity to share some special time with you while reading the books.

    Reading is a Special Life-Long Skill - Reading is a very important skill that can help your child discover interesting 
    opportunities and reach his/her full potential. Please do all that you can to help your child get off to a good start with 
    positive early reading experiences.
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