Reading
· Practice sight words/tricky words for 5 minutes daily-make a game of it
· Segment and Blend: say a simple word such as sam, cat, etc. and then break the word into their sounds. When they say each sound have your child touch their shoulder, elbow, and wrist. (ex. Sam /s/ (touch shoulder) /a/ (touch elbow) /m/ (touch wrist) ) Then blend the word back together as you slide your hand down your arm.
· Play “Say it fast”: break a word into parts and have your child say it fast. “Look, there’s a spi/der (syllables). Can you say it fast?” As your child progresses, make it more challenging. “Look, there’s a
m/oo/se, can you say it fast?”
· Swap a letter-1st sound: Write a simple, short word that can be sounded out and help your child say the sounds, blend them and read the word. Then replace the first letter of the word. Ask your child to read the new word. For example: pot, not, cot, rot, lot, dot, tot.
· Sound Hunt: Have your child hunt for things around the house that start with a given sound (ex. Find all the things that start with the “mmmmmm” sound.) When riding in the car, look for things that start with a sound. To see how many sounds you can collect on the trip.
· Beginning Sound Game: Have your child choose a word (for example, bear). Ask him or her to identify the first sound of that word. If your child is unable to find the first sound, help him/her find that sound, (B-b-b-bear).
Which of these words is not like the other? Say a series of words with the same beginning sound and one that starts with a different sound: “cat, car, mop, can.”
· Beginning Sound Game: Have your child choose a word (for example, bear). Ask him or her to identify the first sound of that word. If your child is unable to find the first sound, help him/her find that sound, (B-b-b-bear).
· Beginning Sound Game: Have your child choose a word (for example, bear). Ask him or her to identify the first sound of that word. If your child is unable to find the first sound, help him/her find that sound, (B-b-b-bear).
Math
· Play games that encourage putting groups of numbers together. (ex. We have 3 spoons on the table. How many more do you need to get 7?)
· Board games/Card games that involve counting and strategy
· Explore patterns with shape and color
· Practice skip counting by 10’s and 5’s
· Become familiar with coins and values.
· Look for math in your home. For example, counting toys, sorting toys or laundry, measuring with a ruler or in the kitchen in a recipe, organizing or counting groceries.
Fun websites to explore:
www.abcya.com for both reading and math
www.readingrockets.org for excellent parent
help ideas for reading
www.starfall.com for reading and math
Must Do’s for Success!
· Read books together at home
· Have home folder cleaned out EVERY NIGHT
· Be consistent with bedtime, attendance at school, and LIMIT the amount of time watching TV and other screen time.
· Follow through with rewards/praise when things are going well and consequences when they are not.