Things You Can Do At Home
- Listen to your child read his/her take-home book.
- Read to your child daily.
- "Echo-read": Ask your child to repeat after you as you read.
- Read stories with repetitive phrases, and reread leaving out words for your child to read.
- Look for familiar letters and words as you read together.
- Practice rhyming words together.
- Discuss the stories together.
- Ask your child to find things that start with the same letter as his/her name.
- Ask your child to do the same for other letters.
- Read labels and signs together.
- Clap word parts together. Ex: Clap the word "reading". Ask your child how many claps you did.
- Have your child identify letters in his/her name.
- Have your child practice writing his/her name.
- Use magnetic letters to form words on your refrigerator.
Ways to Use Magnetic Letters for Beginning Readers
- Making Names: Have your child practice making his/her name.
- Letter Match: Ask your child to find letters that look exactly the same as the letters in his/her name.
- Making Words: Have your child make simple words like mom, dad, dog, me, etc.
- Alphabet Train: Practice putting letters in alphabetical order.
- Letter games: Make up your own games with letters and sounds. (Example: make a simple word without the first letter. Ask what that letter should be.)