Learning to read can be a daunting task. In this series I will be giving tips you can use to help your child to be a better reader.
There are five components to reading: phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. In this newsletter, we will focus on the first component.
Phonological awareness – this is understanding that words are made of individual sounds. An easy way to think about this component is that it can be done in the dark (or with your eyes closed). You don’t need any materials to teach this!
Here are some activities you can do to strengthen phonological awareness. Turn them into games and the child won’t even realize they are learning! I like to do these in the car. The activities below increase in difficulty. Don’t try to do all of them at once. Start with the first one, then add on as your child increases in skill.
- You say a word, they think of a word that rhymes with it. (I say bat, you say….cat!)
- Read/sing nursery rhymes.
- Say a word, they have to tell you the first sound only (beginning sounds are the easiest to learn, ending sounds come next, middle sounds are the hardest). (I say car, you say /k/)
- Say a word, and have your child change the first (or middle or end) sound to another sound. (I say man. You change the first sound to /p/…pan!)
- Break a word apart by putting a space between the first sound and the rest of the word. The child puts the word together. (I say s….it. you say sit!)
- Take compound words (2 small words put together) and say them with a pause in the middle. The child puts them together. (I say play….. ground. You say playground.
- You say the compound word and they split it up. (I say butterfly. You say butter… fly!)
- Say a word and have the child take off a part. Use the beginning sound to start, then change to ending sound as they get proficient. (I say dog. You say dog without /d/… og!
- You say a word, have the child repeat it, then have them add onto it to make a compound word. (I say card. You say card. Add board… cardboard!)
- You say a compound word, the child repeats it. Then ask them to say it without either the first or last part. (I say daytime. You say … daytime. Now say it without day. You say… time!)
These might seem silly to an adult, but teaching your child to recognize that words are made of parts, both big and small, will help them learn to decode words as they read. They will recognize patterns, which will increase their fluency (the ability to read smoothly and accurately).