Learn to make and break words
Extend your child's literacy skills with a fun activity called Making and Breaking Words. Use letters (magnetic letters, letter tiles or a make-it-yourself alphabet from pen and paper). Start with a secret word. Arrange letters so the secret word is not apparent ( d a r g e n i ). Walk the child through this task and have him follow your instructions.
Use two letters to make in. Now change a letter to make the word an. Add a letter to the beginning to make ran. Add a letter to the end to make rang. Make another four-letter word: rain. Add a letter to make a five-letter word: grain. Farmers grow grain. Using all the letters, try to find out what the secret word is. After one minute, give the first letter as a clue, then the second letter and so on. (If you haven't figured it out, the secret word is reading.)
What other words can you make from the letters? Try to fill in a chart of two-letter words, three-letter words, four-letter words and five-letter words:
in rid grin grand
an red gang
dig
gin
aid
This activity solves the mystery of building words. By manipulating the letters, children get practice at spelling and phonics and learn to look for small words in big words. For hundreds of making-and-breaking-words activities, look for Making Words (Good Apple, 1994) by Patricia Cunningham.
Create a reader-friendly home
A book should give your kids that cuddle-up-under-the-quilt-with-Dad feeling or that snuggle-in-the-corner-of-the-couch-with-Mom feeling. A book should be about quiet time in the fort under the dining room table. A book should make you melt. Books connect us to other people who laugh, cry, feel stupid and help one another. They let us know we are not alone. They are lifelines in a crazy world.
Become familiar with your child's interests and strengths. Then help her to choose books that not only motivate her but also aim for her reading level. A just-right book has a few challenges for the reader but not enough to make reading frustrating. Visit www.readinga-z.com for fun books that you can download from kindergarten level to grades 5 and up. And don't forget that the library is still the best deal in town.
Janet Trull is a literacy teacher with the Grand Erie District School Board in southcentral Ontario. With a background in special education and Reading Recovery, she has researched the success of home reading programs. She considers it a priority to make literacy strategies accessible and practical for parents.
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