Phonemic Awareness—the ability to hear and distinguish sounds
· Play “I Spy” with your child and say, “I spy something that starts with a /b/.” Have your child do the same.
· Play a game in which you say a word and your child has to break apart all the sounds—(ex. /d/ /o/ /g/).
· Read books that contain rhymes and have your child complete the rhyming word at the end of each line.
· Prompt your child to produce rhymes by asking “Can you tell me a word that rhymes with ‘cake’?”
· Give you child 3-5 blocks, beads, buttons, or similar items, say a word, and have your child move an object for each sound in the word.
· Play Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes with sounds. Say a word and have your child touch his/her head for the first sound, shoulders for the second sound, and knees for the third while saying each sound.
· Demonstrate clapping a word into its syllables and ask your child to do the same.
Phonics—the ability to understand relationships between letters and sounds
· Make letter-sounds and have your child write the letter or letters that match the sounds.
· Read alphabet books and have your child think of other words that begin with each letter.
· Write letters or blends (fl, scr, gr) on pieces of paper and put them in a bag. Let your child reach into the bag, take out a letter, and say the sound(s) that matches.
· Building words—using magnetic letters, make a 3-letter word, have your child read the word and use it in a sentence. Change one letter to make a new word—(ex. cat, bat, hat, sat, mat, rat).
· Hunting for words—choose a letter and have your child hunt 3-5 items beginning with that letter sound. As each object is found, help your child write the word on a list.
· Make alphabet letters out of Play-Doh.
· Play “Memory” or “Go Fish” using alphabet cards or cards with consonant/vowel digraphs and blends—(ex. ay, ea, oo, ch, th, sh, bl, sc, sp, gl).
· Write a note or letter to your child and have them write back. Writing reinforces phonics skills.
Fluency—the ability to read with speed to support comprehension
· Repeated reading—choose a book that will not be very difficult for your child. Read the passage aloud to your child and then read it together. Next, have your child read the passage to you over and over—each time getting faster and smoother.
· Use different voices—when reading a familiar story, have your child use different voices. Read the story in a mouse voice, cowboy voice, or a princess voice and practice using expression.
· Recite nursery rhymes and poems to build familiar phrases in speech.
· Point out punctuation marks that aid in expression. Demonstrate how your voice changes as you read for each. Only focus on one at a time during a book.
· Say a sentence to your child and ask him/her to repeat it to you. Challenge your child to increase the number of words he/she can repeat. As you say it, put it in meaningful phrases—(ex. The boy went/ to the store/ with his mother.).
· Record the reading—after your child has practiced a passage, have him/her record it with a tape player, cell phone, or MP3 device. Once recorded, your child can listen to his reading and follow along in the book. Often, he/she will want to record it again to make it even better.
· Make your own book of favorite songs for your child to practice reading. This builds confidence and helps your child identify him/herself as a reader.
Vocabulary—the knowledge of and memory for word meanings
· Read aloud to your child and preview words. Scan through the book and choose 2 words that you think might be interesting or unfamiliar to your child. Tell your child what those words mean and then help your child listen for them when you reread the book.
· Hot Potato—play “Hot Potato” with synonyms. Choose a word, and have your child think of a word that means the same thing—(ex. you may say “cold” and your child might say “freezing”. Try the game with antonyms (opposites).
· Play “Categories” with your child. Name topics such as “farms” and ask your child to think of all the words he/she can relate to that topic.
· Talk about how things are alike and different.
· Use a variety of words to describe feelings and emotions.
· Discuss positional words such as beside, below, under, above, around, over, etc.
· When you read a book about a topic, ask him/her to tell you all the words related to it—(ex. If you read a book about dinosaurs, he/she might say T-Rex, fossil, carnivore.).
Comprehension—the ability to understand and draw meaning from text
· Sequencing errands—Talk about errands that you will run today. Use sequencing words (first, next, last, finally) when describing your day.
· Every day comprehension—Ask your child who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about an even in his/her day.
· Think aloud—when you read aloud to your child, talk about what you are thinking. This shows them that reading is more than figuring out words.
· Sequencing comics—choose a comic strip from the Sunday paper. Cut out each square and mix the squares up. Have your child put them back in order and describe what is happening.
· Before reading—point out the title and author, look at the pictures and ask “What do you think is going to happen in this story?”
· During reading—stop after a few pages and ask your child to tell you what has happened so far or what he/she predicts will happen. You might also ask for your child’s opinion.
· After reading—ask your child to retell the story from the beginning and ask for opinions, too. Include the characters, problem, and solution in the conversation. Discuss if the story makes her/him think of another book they have read and how they are similar or different. Discuss if the story reminds them of a personal event.