If your child is having difficulty with alphabet recognition try the following activities:
- identify, match and /or sort upper and lowercase magnetic letters
- play games such as Lotto, concentration and go fish with letter flash cards
- read a variety of simple alphabet books
- write letters in the air, in a sand tray , on a chalkboard, or on a Magna Doodle
- cut-out and identify letters in magazines and newspapers
- search for and circle specific letters on a printed page
- complete an alphabet puzzle
- Look for language patterns in poetry, songs and stories
- identify characters, setting and plot
- form mental images and make predictions
- talk about and dramatize new situations, concepts and vocabulary
- learn vocabulary concepts through repeated readings of storybooks and works of non-fiction
- pronounce sounds slowly to highlight individual sounds
- e.g. mmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaappppppppppppp map
- match and sort pictures and words according to their beginning sounds
- read and point with the parent while reading text
- cut apart and reassemble sentences
- locate words in text that begin with specified letters and or sounds
- read simple alphabet books
- write independently
- share the pen and let the child write the letters he knows and the parent writes the others
- read and reread familiar books
- write from dictation (parent dictates easy sentences or words) e.g. The cat sat.
- write dictated words and sentences
- read a variety of literature including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry
- identify and locate known words in various text
- read and reread stories and poems with predidctable language patterns
- maintain word banks or picture dictionaries of known words
- play word card games such as Gingo and Concentration
- write indepentently and together with a partner
- participate in shared reading (parent reads and stops to let the child read the missing word or phrase)
- reread familiar books
- reread stories that child has written
- reread easy familiar books independently