Growing Readers Together
October Tips for Kindergarten Parents
3 Games to Help Your Child Hear Rhymes
- Play Rhyme Time. Say three words to your child. Two of the words should rhyme. Have your child identify the two rhyming words. (cat/bat/dog; box/bag/fox; sack/pit/bit)
- Play The Name Game. Think of rhymes to go with the names of family members. (Mary Berry, Brian Lion, Jennifer Hennifer, Mama Llama, etc.) Call each other by your silly rhyming names.
- Play Let's Eat. As your family is eating dinner, say, "Find something that rhymes with silk. (milk) Find something that rhymes with licken." (chicken) Let your child ask you to find something that rhymes with _____.
teach your child the letters in his name
Children who are able to identify the letters of the alphabet have an easier time learning to read. Being able to call out letter names quickly and easily is important. A great place to start is helping your child learn to identify the letters in his name.
- Write your child's name on an index card. Show him the card and read it with your finger.
- Count the letters. Point and say the name of each letter. Help your child say the names of the letters with you.
- Cut the card between the letters so that each letter has its own smaller card.
- Show your child how he can take the letters in his name, mix them up, and then put them back together in the correct order. At first, you may need to write his name on a separate piece of paper for him to use as a guide.
- Once again, help your child say the name of the letters as he touches them.
- Turn this into a game. Have your child close his eyes while you quickly turn over one of the letters in his name. Can he guess the name of the over-turned letter?
Hearing Beginning Sounds in Words
Play Name That Sound. Say, "What sound do you hear at the beginning of mop, man, meat, mind?" "What sound do you hear at the beginning of soup, sun, silly, soap?" Once your child can identify the beginning sounds in words, help him learn the name of the letter that makes that sound. You can play this game while riding in the car or while waiting for dinner to be served at your favorite restaurant.
Help Your Child Learn to Recognize Letters
Children who are able to identify the letters of the alphabet have an easier time learning to read. Being able to call out letter names quickly and easily is important. One great way to begin helping your child differentiate between letters is by helping him sort the letters by their characteristics. Using plastic letters, put all the letters with curvy lines together and all the letters with straight lines together. Make a pile of letters with holes and another pile of letters with dots. As you finish this activity, put the letters in alphabetical order. Sing the ABC song together as you touch each letter.
Help Your Child Learn About Books
Reading to your child every day helps him learn how books work. Show your child these important features as you read together:
- We read pages from left to right and top to bottom.
- Books have pictures and words that are meaningful.
- Books have a cover and title.
- The words you say when reading are linked to the words on the page.
- There is one spoken word to one printed word.
- There are spaces between words.
- Words are made up of letters.
- Books have punctuation marks.
Helpful Parent Resources
- Nursery rhymes or rhyming books
Utilize online resources such as Starfall.com
Handwriting tidbits:
Handwriting Resources for Parents
How to say letter sounds correctly: