ABC Literacy Fun

Fun with Magnets

2010-05-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Do you have a pack of magnetic letters? If so, use them! If you don't have them, it's time to invest. A pack of magnetic letters can be used in so many different ways. In the classroom, I have students create words using an old cookies sheet. I often give students the word ending and they have to create real words using different letters. The next time you are going on a road trip, bring along a cookie tray and a ziploc baggie full of magnets. Encourage your child to spell different words. Your child can make rhyming words, family member's names, state initials, or spell the signs that you pass.

For beginner readings, ask your child to look for letters. Start off by saying the letter sound. I'm looking for the letter that makes the /s/ sound. Praise your child when they find it. Say something like this, "good job, you found he letter s. The letter s says /s/ like snake."

Other funs ways to use magnets:

Create words on the fridge.
Leave messages on the fridge, instead of asking your child to get the milk, spell the word. Say something like, "I need you to get the M-I-L-K (point to the word) out for me."
Paint a wall in your house with magnetic chalkboard paint and use that space for creating words.
Give your child 10 letters (or a long word) and see how many different words they can out of those letters or word.
Make a wall of important or frequently used words. I recommend organizing them in ABC order.

Rereading-What's the Point?

2010-04-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

Most children have a favorite story that they love reading over and over again. This is great! Even though you maybe be tired of reading or listening to the same story, don't stop. Reading a story multiple times improves fluency. Fluency is the ability to read with expression and with understanding. The first time your child may read a passage he/she may struggle to read (or decode) words and it may sound choppy. After reading a passage several times, your child will be able to read with speed, accuracy and with proper expression. Also, the more he/she reads, the more he/she will understand what he/she is reading. Your child is not initially working on reading for understanding, especially as a beginning reader. With time and practice, your child will be able to think about what he/she is reading.

Fun at the Grocery Store

2010-04-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

You might be thinking how can I make the grocery store fun for my child?

Here is a quick list of ways to make grocery shopping a fun, learning experience:

Prior to grocery shopping, have your child make the grocery list and encourage inventive spelling. Have your child draw a picture next to the word. As you shop, have him or her match the words to the food labels and cross the items off the list.
Or go on a word hunt, say a word and challenge your child to locate the word in the store. For example, "I'm looking for the word fruit." Prior to this activity, make a point of identifying words and food signs throughout the store or on items.
As you put items in the cart, say the word and a rhyming word for each item. Then have your child come up with their own. Remember it's okay if s/he come up with a nonsense word. For example, you say "bread" and your child can come up with "red, Ed, fred, or med."
Go through the alphabet, try to locate a food item for each letter (apple, banana, cheerios). If your child forgets what letter of the alphabet comes next, sing the alphabet song with them.
Play "I Spy". I spy a food that starts with /s/, say the sound not the letter name. Have them identify an object like strawberry or salami.
As you put items in the cart, encourage your child to spell the items. Help your child to sound out each sound. If you put milk in the cart, sound it out with your child, mmmiiilllkkk. Ask them what letter sounds they hear? Go through each individual sound, /m/ is the letter m. I encourage inventive spelling which means let your child spell words as he or she hears individual sounds. For example, if they spell love as luv or happy as hape, know that this is common. As your child continues to learn and read words, he or she will continue to correct his or her own spelling.
Always look for ways to make any opportunity a learning experience.

Do you have a fun and creative way that you make grocery shopping exciting with your child? If so, please comment below.

Word Recognition with Labels

2010-04-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

Labeling is an easy and fun way for your child to build word recognition and association. Go through your house with your child and label everyday objects. You can label objects like a chair, a bed, a bookshelf, a tv, a window, a table, a desk, etc. As you walk around the house, point to the word and have your child repeat it or read the label. Each day, add a few more labels around the house. You can do this together or have your child pick out items that want to label. Add the words to a list and post them on the refrigerator. After a few days, ask your child to go on a "word hunt" and find the words on the list. If you want to start with a simple list, start with common items in the kitchen. Here is a link to printable index cards of common kitchen items (go to step #3).

These pictures were taken from my classroom.

Students know where to look when they need to how to spell a certain word.

You could also:

Write the word on one side of the index card and have your child trace the word or write it on the opposite side.
Draw a picture next to each word.
Label pictures of family members.
Play I Spy with the cards. Say something like this, "I spy a word that starts with the letter b, it's in the family room and we put books in it." (bookshelf)
Label rooms in the house.
Have your child write a sentence using words in the room. This way they practice writing the words.
Make a book of labels in the house or in a particular room.

Book Making

2010-04-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

Young children are so creative and love to become authors! They love imaging stories and acting them out. It is even more exciting, when they can share their stories with other. Encourage your child to make a mini-book. It can be a fictional story, it can be their own version of their favorite story, or a how-to book; the possibilities are endless. Provide your child with paper, crayons, makers and glue. They may need your help cutting, gluing, tying, stapling and in general, assembling. You can simply take a piece of paper and fold it into fours. It will give you a cover, two inside pages and a back side.

In this picture, the students created books about locating themselves on a map. You can read more about it at this site. This creator show a variety of different ways use books.

Or you can make a poof book, an accordion style booklet, a flip book or a step book. They all are fun and can serve different purposes. Show them different types of books or brochures you have around the house. Your child will have lots of fun becoming an author and illustrator.

Poof Book Accordion Book

Here is an example of a step book.

Click here for directions on how to create all of the books listed above and many more. You can also visit this website for more ideas on creating books with your child.

If you are feeling crafty try helping your child create a pop-up book. They will be thrilled!

Bottom images taken from Vicki Blackwell's site.

Questioning

2010-04-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

When you are reading with your child, it is important to ask questions and discuss the text to ensure comprehension. Comprehension is understanding and making sense of the text. I always ask questions before, during and after reading. As adults, many of us do this subconsciously. Young children need this modeled for them and lots of practice so that they too, do this automatically.

Reading Rockets is a great resource. It has current news about the latest literacy research and lots of suggestions for your young reader. It is especially helpful if you have a struggling readers. Check out this link to learn about a list of things to do before, during and after reading with your child.

Author Studies

2010-04-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

In my classroom, we study a new author each month. Through our author studies we are able to learn about different authors, characters, look for similarities, differences and common themes. It is also a great way to help students make connections between texts. Many of the books we study are already in our classroom library but when I pull out the book and introduce it to the students, they become aware of the author and are excited to read books by that author. When the students go to the library, they often select an author we have learned about as their take-home selection. I encourage you to highlight certain books in your home. Bring them to your child's attention and have fun looking for similarities or common themes.

One of my favorite author's is Mo Willems. He has many stories about a silly pigeon. The pigeon is hysterical. I love watching my students' faces light up as I introduce a new story about the pigeon. There is often a controversy over who gets to read the pigeon books.

Check out these pigeon books if you haven't already:

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late
The Pigeon Wants a Hot Dog
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy
The Pigeon Loves Things That Go (Board Book)

Also, consider shuffling your books. Create a bin of 10-30 books to read for a few weeks or even a month. At the end of the month, put those books in another area and put out new bin of books. This will help your students to be excited about all of the books that are in your home or are new from the library. Also, if you have spent time highlighting books, they will be more interested when they re-read the book for a second time.

Creating a Work Space

2010-04-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

It is important for your children to have a quiet, work space. As adults, many of us enjoy sitting in a coffee shop because we can read, do work or browse the Internet in peace and quiet. Or you may enjoy sitting in your favorite chair, your office, or lying in bed to read. Create a work space for your children to read, draw, do homework, or do any "quiet" activity. It can be any quiet nook in your house; in a corner, under the stairs, in bean bag chair or in your favorite cozy chair. Put books, writing paper, writing utensils and comfy chairs in this space and make sure it is well light.

Happy reading!

Reading, Writing and Practicing Sight Words

2010-04-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

In kindergarten and first grade, your child is introduced to a number of words, these are often referred to as sight words or high frequency words. These words are common words that are in many of the beginner books or phonics stories that your child may be reading in school. It takes the average child over 25 interactions with a word before they can commit it to memory. This means that your child needs as much practice and interactions with these words as possible. Make sight words (or high frequency words) fun for your child. Here is a list of ways that you can help your child practice, spell and read these words. For kindergarten pick 2-3 words at a work on at a time, for first graders, select 5-7 words. If you have a pre-schooler work on their first and last name and family members names.

Write them:

you can write them on paper,

on construction paper,

on a chalkboard,

(You could also purchase chalkboard paint and paint a space or wall in your house and encourage your child to write and draw in this place.)

on a whiteboard,

stamp them,

paint them,

or construct them out of play-doh.

Give your child a special notebook, give them markers, sparkly pens, crayons, pencils, colored pencils, any tool or medium that will get them excited about writing.

Have fun writing sight words!

If you have another creative way that you get your child excited about writing, please let us know. Comment below.

Rhyming

2010-04-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

Rhyming is such an important skill for young child to master. When children rhyme, they are able create new words and find patterns in words. Rhyming helps your child to hear the individual sounds in words which will help them when they begin to write words. Words that rhyme have the same ending sound but not the same beginning sounds. For example, cat, hat, mat, sat. Some rhyming words do not look the same spelling. For example, cake, ache, steak. To practice rhyming, make-up and play rhyming games.

Practice rhyming with your child when you are sitting at the dinner table, driving in the car, going for a walk, on the swing or sitting on the couch. Do with one child or have everyone in the family participate.

Say something like this:

"Give me a word that rhymes with _________." Then have your child come up with 5 words that rhyme with a given word.

For example: "Give me a word that rhymes with pan." ( man, can, ran, lan, wan)

Model this for your child the first time and then have them come up with their own words.

Remember it's okay if they aren't real words, as long as they rhyme.

And don't forget to check out rhyming books. Dr. Seuss is well-known for all of his rhyming books. Start out with The Cat in the Hat and have your child locate all of the rhyming words on each page. Here are other wonderful (and silly) book titles to check out:

Take me out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs by Alan Katz

There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback (or any version)

Down By the Bay by Raffi

Edwina the Emu by Sheena Knowles

Parts by Tedd Arnold

And of course, any version of Mother Goose

Homework Ideas

2010-04-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

I regularly have parents ask me, what should I do with my child at home? I often tell parents that is crucial that they provide their child with lots of opportunities to read aloud. Make it a habit to read with your child each night. Find books that are age appropriate for your child. If the classroom teacher sends home weekly phonics readers or a reading books, practice re-reading the same story multiple times. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately which builds fluency. If you are not sure, ask your child's teachers for ideas or go to your local library and ask the librarian for recommended books. While your child is reading, ask him or her questions about the story. Say something like, "Why do you think Frog did that?" Think of who, what, why, when and how questions to ask your child. Also, if he or she has difficultly sounding out certain words, encourage him or her to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word. It’s okay if he/she sounds out each letter in a word. For example, if he/she reads cat as /c/ /a/ /t/ and then blends it together. Reading fluently and comprehension comes with time. Be patient and encourage your child as they read. Continue to make reading fun.

Be Excited about Reading

2010-04-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to be excited about reading. Children need to see their parents reading and share the same enthusiasm for it.

As a family, make it a daily ritual to read together. Turn off the TV, put down your phones and planners, and have everyone read together in one room. Everyone can have their own book or you can read one book together. Some of you may be thinking, I have young children who don't know how to read yet? It's okay if your children don't know how to read. Encourage them to look at the pictures. If they see you reading, they will desire to at least pretend to read. Allow this to be a quiet and relaxing time as a family. At the end, ask everyone to share one thing they noticed or enjoyed from their reading.

Many parents are in a routine of reading to their children before bed. As your children enter school, encourage them to repeat a sentence you just read. As much as you want to get your kiddos to bed, take the time to read with them, ask them questions, encourage them to predict what might happen next and finally, have them point out words they recognize. This is an important time where you can help them work on their phonics and comprehension. Make the most of every time you have with your chid. If you read to them soon, they will read to you!