Ways to Support Your Child's Learning At Home

Activities:

• Have your child practice naming letters on posters, books, and signs.

• Play the game, I Spy, with your child.  Have them look for objects that begin with different letters of the alphabet.

• Have your child participate in acting out a story he/she is familiar with after having it read to them.

• Have your child tell what might happen next if the story you read continued.

• Give your child pairs of words from a nursery rhyme that rhyme.

Resource Link:

• List of Online Children's Books

Letter Identification:

Letter identification is a skill that involves being able to say the names of both upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet quickly, without having to think very long about each letter. (approximately 3-5 seconds)

Letter Sound Production:

Letter sound production involves being able to look at the letter and say the sound that the letter makes.   In Kindergarten, this is tested by showing the student a lowercase letter and asking the child the sound the letter makes.

Resource Links:

• Interactive Alphabet Arc (English)

• Heggerty Alphabet Letter Cards (English)

What are high-frequency words?

High-frequency words are words that students need to know by the end of the year in Kindergarten.   According to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills K.2(B)(iv):  Students are expected to identify and read at least 25 high-frequency words from a research-based list.   One way to prepare your child for Kindergarten is by practicing these high-frequency words at home.

Resource Link:

• High-Frequency Words

Activities:

• Have your child use letter-like shapes when taking an order at a restaurant during dramatic play.   If they can, write the beginning sound for each item you order. (ex:  write the letter "P" for pizza.)

• Have your child write a few letters or mock letters as a caption under their drawing and have them “read” it to you.

• Model writing as a means of communicating with yourself and others (ex:  show them how you write reminder notes to yourself and/or a "to-do" list).

• Help your child reflect on things they've done that they can write about.  

• Help your child “think out loud” while writing (ex:  what topic to write about; what happens next in the story; what details to add to their drawing).

• Using the writing paper below, have your child touch and tell their story.  As they touch each box, have your child tell what happened first, next, and last in their story.  They may choose to tell their story using pictures only or pictures and words.

Resource Links:

• Developmental Stages of Drawing

• Handwriting Strokes - Uppercase Letters

• Writing paper

Activities:

• Have your child place objects to be counted in a row and begin counting.

• Have your child practice moving, touching, and/or pointing to each object while counting, using one-to-one correspondence.

• Have your child say the number for numerals from 0-9 that are written on paper, cards, or game pieces.

• Create verbal word problems involving adding and subtracting.

• Have your child use non-standard units of measurement to measure everyday objects (links, paperclips, inchworms, etc..)

Resource Link:

• Handwriting Strokes-Numbers

Activities

• Use activities that involve your child in discussions about emotions and how to react to them (books, role playing, puppets.)

• Have your child practice sharing a space and materials with other children comfortably.

• Have your child practice working out problems with a peer independently before seeking adult help.

• Create a schedule for your child to follow by pointing out what comes next.

• Have your child clean-up and put materials away in appropriate places.

• Have your child practice putting together puzzles with interlocking pieces.

• Your child can practice accomplishing self-help tasks such as buttoning, zipping, and snapping.

• They can practice cutting out shapes with scissors.

• Have your child manipulate and shape Play-Doh into different shapes and sizes.

• Have your child practice drawing recognizable pictures and shapes.