
*Bonus Tip
Access my list of Fun and Creative Tools Used to Encourage My Son to Read at the bottom of this post!
Below are examples of what my son and I did…. SING I sung constantly to my son. It became something that soothed him. I sung when he woke up in the middle of the night, in the car, and while feeding and changing him. Songs taught my son language. They also helped him to learn the alphabet and phonics. I took it a step further and created songs about words that began with each letter of the alphabet. Read I love going to the library with my son because of the programs, toys, puzzles and books. Before leaving the library, I always checked out at least 15 children books. I ensured at least one of the books was about the alphabet. There are zillions of books at the library about the ABC’s. He was able to see the same words I sung in songs within these books. PLAY, PLAY, PLAY I enjoyed coming home from work to play with my child. It seemed like a break from sitting and looking at a computer all day. We played with toys such as play doh and alphabet blocks. Before he could talk, we molded the playdoh into letters. We drew pictures on the storm door with window markers in alphabetical order. For example, we drew an apple for A and banana for B. On our way to the playground in the evenings and weekends, we identified letters on car license plates and signs. Talk Talking is a great way to increase a child’s focus. We discussed stories we read in books. We also made up stories about the alphabet and various animals. Whenever we were in the grocery store, I identified foods and the letter they started with. It is important to converse with your child on various topics! Technology Once my son could identify letters, I let him watch cartoons that featured the alphabet, phonics, and words. Leapfrog has a great series of educational cartoons. We also listened to toddler radio and hip-hop educational CDs in the car. Put it Together Once he knew the phonics, I taught him how to blend letter sounds to read words. Many words, including sight words, were becoming familiar to him through exposure to books, children museums, YouTube, the library, cartoons, and anywhere we went. He heard words through our conversations, songs, radio, and television. His brain started making connections and then he started reading. He has also developed a true love of reading. Similar concepts were also used to teach him to- write
- count
- identify colors
- Spanish words
- Tell Time
Happy PLAYFUL In-Depth Learning!
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I did similar activities with my granddaughters when I was “Grandpa Daycare”. I also included phonics. When my oldest grand entered kindergarten, she was reading on a fourth grade level! The younger one is on the autism spectrum is an “A” honor rolll student in the 4th grade! Also their parents were very involved in their preschool learning activities.
Kevin, thank you for the comment. I have heard how advanced all your granddaughters are through various family members. This is a testament to how interaction with a child can accelerate learning!