Notice letters everywhere! The more you notice letters the more a child's curiosity about letters builds. It will make a HUGE difference.
1. Go outside and make letters with chalk.
2. Make Lego or block letters. Write letters or add letter stickers on the sides of your child's Lego's and/or blocks. As they build, they can notice, talk about, and learn their letters.
3. Read alphabet books. Notice and compare what the letters represent in each book.
4. Make a name or word collage. Write a word or their name on a piece of paper. Have your child place stickers, dots, tissue paper, beads, etc. on top of the letters you made.
5. Make letters with playdoh. First, roll the playdoh into rolls (snakes). Use the rolls to form the letters. You can also use letter cookie cutters!
6. Play letters hide and seek! Take your magnet letters (or letter cards) and hide them around the room and then find them! Put the letters in order at the end to make sure you have found all of the letters!
7. Sensory letters! Sprinkle salt, flour, or oatmeal onto a cookie sheet. Your child can use a finger to make the letters. Gently shake the tray to erase so you can make more.
8. Make a letter collage. Get a magazine or a store ad. Have your child cut out the letters they find. Glue the letters all over the page randomly. Glue matching letters next to each other. Put them in ABC order, or make words with the letters.
9. When you are out in the community or in the car, notice the letters on signs, menus, ads, and labels.
10. Get magnet letters for the refrigerator. Start with just the letters in their name and SLOWLY add more and more letters.
Sight Word Activities
1. You can make a “Word Wall” at home. Write the sight words on Post-it notes and display them on the fridge or on any wall. Help your child master these basic sight words by reading and pointing to them every day. They can even spell them by saying them aloud to you.
2. Go outside and write the words with chalk.
3. Make a word collage. Write a word on a piece of paper. Have your child place stickers, glue tissue paper, beads, etc. on top of the letters you make.
4. Make words with play dough. First roll the play dough into snakes. Use the snakes to form the letters. You can also use cookie cutters, if you have them.
5. Sensory words: Sprinkle salt, flour, or oatmeal onto a cookie sheet. He or she can use her finger to make the words. Gently shake the tray to erase so she can make more.
6. After reading a book, have your child look back into the pages and see if she can point and locate words she recognizes.
7. Write each sight word on an index card and add it to a binder ring of sight words.
8. Have your child "read" familiar books to you. Encourage her to point to each word as she reads.