- Reading will help build your child's vocabulary so stop and ask if they understand unfamiliar words. You hear me say, "Can you say that word?" Give your child the definition of the word.
- Keep story time playful and fun. Uses voices and hand gestures. Be theatrical. This keeps the story interesting and fun.
- Many stories will allow your child to participate. For example, when we read Owl Babies the children are always Bill.
- Let your child stop you and ask questions and make comments. This means they are curious and engaged in the story.
- Look at the illustrations. Point out things in the pictures. Count. Identify colors and shapes.
You might be learning that working on letter recognition with your child is hard. It is and that's okay. Be patient. We are going to continue to provide you with lots of ideas (and I'm sure there are millions of others out there doing the same) on how to work on letters. Here is a start:
- Sing the ABC song. The oral language comes first.
- Work on just a few letters at time until you feel your child is ready to review all of the letters.
- Notice letters around your home. We tell the children there are letters everywhere.
- Do you have flashcards? Play Hide & Seek with the flashcards and when your child finds the card, identify the letter. Start to add more cards and place in alphabetical order.
- Learning all the letters of the alphabet takes time. Be patient and keep it fun. Encourage your child and celebrate their success.
