Pre Reading Skills
THE ART OF STORY TELLING
One great way of introducing a new skill, routine or activity with your child is to make a photo story book about it. I just made a “Day-In-The-Life-Of” story book as a bit of fun for my son. It was really easy, over several days (it would have taken a day, but I kept forgetting) I took photos of him doing the things he does during the day. For example: Waking up, eating, playing, bath time etc then I printed them and put them in a dollar store photo album. As he is the main character in the book he absolutely loves “reading” it.
This type of story book can be really great if you are trying to work on a routine. For example, if you are trying to instigate a bedtime routine to help your child go to bed more easily/quickly, take pictures of your child going through the parts of the routine. Enlisting your child to help put the photos in the right order helps embed the process as well as “reading” the story regularly. Just beware, once you do this, you won’t get away with making any variances from the routine!
Another fun thing to do with these picture stories is practice sequencing – a good thing to practice before your child starts kindergarten. Going through first, then, next and last with your child both using pictures and physically around the house will help your child understand typical instructions she will get from her Kindergarten teacher. For example: First hang up your coat, then wash your hands, and lastly sit at the table.
Photo books have a huge range of applications and are great because they are easy to make and kids love having a book written all about them. If you have any other uses for them feel free to add a comment.
TIPS TO KEEP YOUR KIDS READING THIS SUMMER
Reading like any new learned skill can get quite rusty after a summer off. Here are some tips to keep your kids in practice over the long hot summer months.
- Take a digital camera with you on a day out with your kids. The next day print off the photos and help your child make a book telling the story of the day out. This book can be read by your child when ever he/she wants to read it.
- A fun variation on this is for your and your child to spend the day photographing a favourite toy in various places and poses around your neighbourhood, you can build this into quite an adventure story!
- Check out your local library for events. There is bound to be lots of kid friendly activities on over the summer, while you are there spend some time together in the kids section and help your child pick out some books to take home and read. Don’t worry too much about trying to find books that are challenging. Kids learn a lot about the enjoyment of reading from books that they can pick up and read fluently by them selves.
- Cook together – and get your child to read the recipe. Even better – turn your baking into a pretend cafe and have your child make up some menu’s and signs.
- Any time you are in a restaurant together this summer, let your child read the menu and pick their own meal.
- Planning a road trip? Make a bingo board out of road signs and place names that you think you will see on the way. When your child sees the sign then they cross off the matching words on the bingo board.
- More on that road trip – give your child a map before hand and let him/her plan the route.
- Do you have parents that live out of town? Have them email your child and let your child return the emails.
PLAY TIME HELPS BOOST CHILD LITERACY
Before we can learn to read there are many skills that a child needs to learn in order to make sense of the written word. As we’ve mentioned before children learn entirely through play. Here is an interesting article linking early play to literacy skill aquisition. http://www.lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2008/12/30/7877721-sun.html
EARLY LITERACY GAMES
Concerned that your baby or toddler may not be developing necessary literacy skills? Here is a great article with some simple free games you can play at home to help your child learn pre reading skills. http://www.lfpress.com/perl-bin/publish.cgi?x=articles&p=254073&s=fightingwords