Some tips and ideas for Raising A Rock-Star Reader
By : Kelly Morin
- Create a Book Nook
- Create a reading space somewhere quiet and comfy in your home.
- Use a pillow, child size chair or even a blanket
- Use a low bookshelf or a big basket with a selection of books.
- Choose only a couple of books to put out and change them up weekly.
- Work on letter recognition
- Index card matching
- Match letter to letter
- Match uppercase letter to a lowercase letter
- Play I spy the letter
- Index card matching
- be the first person to find five A’s
- find the letter’s in your name
- use mealtime to look for letters
- find letters on food boxes
make a place mat with letters from magazines
3. Create a Word Jar
- Make a list of words you want to introduce to your child
- Sight words
- Family names
- Seasonal words
- Color words
- Clothing words
You can pull out a word and talk about it and it’s definition
You can match to word to it’s object
You can make two sets of words and have the child find it’s match somewhere in the house.
4. Use sensory materials to make writing fun
- Shaving Cream
- Finger Paint
- No-Mess Writing Bags (fill zip storage bags halfway with colored paint or inexpensive hair gel) Children can use their index finger to make letters or numbers
- Salt/Sugar/Sand Writing
- Pipe Cleaners/Wikki Stix (wax stick they can bend into letters, numbers & shapes)
- Chalk board/wipe-off board
5. Storytelling
- Use puppets to tell stories
- Tell Popcorn stories
One person starts with “Once upon a time there was a…” then another person continues telling the story, taking turns, back and forth with the story
Try using these transitions if you get stuck…
And so…
Because…
Suddenly…
Next…
Before they….
Meanwhile….
However…
7. Use family photos to tell stories.