Mystery box game: Find random items around the house with simple names (book, ball, hat, cat, etc.) and put them into a box. Have your child reach into the box WIHTOUT LOOKING and tell them that you are going to sound out a word that they need to find. Break down one of the items names by sound (ex: “bb-aa-ll”). Really emphasize the sounds of the word and see if they can feel around the box to find that word. This encourages children to listen to the different segments of a word and blend them together to find the right item. This is a key skill for young readers to learn to do, it also models how to sound out words based on the sounds that are in a word!

Website: Starfall https://www.starfall.com/h/ltr-classic/

This website offers games and activities for children to engage in that work on phonemic awareness skills. The game linked above helps children to isolate and manipulate sounds in words, which is an important skill when decoding words.  

Playdough letters: Use playdough at home to create letters. As your child creates a letter with playdough, brainstorm some words that begin with that sound. “We made the letter ‘Aa’! Acorn starts with A! “A-a-acorn!” This is a fun, hands-on way to engage children in phonics at home. This skill not only encourages children to think about the letter sound and words that correspond, but it works on letter formation as well! Children at every level can do this activity, some children may need support molding the dough into the letter shape.

Website: Phonics.com https://www.phonics.com/#:~:text=Fun%20with%20phonics,%2C%20images%2C%20practice%20and%20play.

This website offers FREE resources for families including flashcards, ebooks, games, and general information for families on how to support their childs literacy skills. This is a helpful resource for families who may be struggling to do phonics activities with their child at home or need ideas on how to support their child at home.

2. Word wall: As you introduce new words throughout the year, add them to the word wall with a visual to go with it. Word walls encourage students to use those words in their writing and encourage them to use the resources in the classroom when writing. Having the visual alongside it helps them to find words they are looking for as early readers/writers and can be extremely helpful for those with delays or exceptionalities.

Read Aloud: The most meaningful thing you can do with your child to enhance their literacy skills is simply reading with them every day! Reading with your child allows them to engage in books, watch as you model reading, and as you do so, they are learning the important components of literacy. Read alouds can be used to enhance your child’s vocabulary by discussing the meaning of unknown words. When you discuss the meaning and then read the sentence again, it allows the child to connect the meaning to the word being use in context. That connection is super beneficial to their vocabulary development!

Website: Reading Rockets: https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/vocabulary/articles/building-your-childs-vocabulary

This website is overall great for all things reading! There is a plethora of information for parents and educators regarding literacy skills. The page linked explains vocabulary for children and how to enhance their vocabulary in the home. This can be beneficial for parents/families to look at and gain new information on how they can work on this skill at home.

2. Re-reading familiar/favorite books: Re-reading books can help to boost students confidence in their fluency skills and word processing. You may re-read books that are on theme, a book that you know your class loves, or maybe one that you find meaningful when learning to read. As you read, encourage students to say repeated phrases!

2. Story mapping: After reading a story, work with the children on drawing a story map. This includes drawing a picture of the setting, characters, beginning, middle, and end of the story. This helps children to dive deep into the plot and understand the story. Story maps can be a great way to assess a child’s comprehension of a story. This activity can be broken down into smaller lessons and one component can be filled in at a time if needed!

Audio books: Find read alouds of some of your childs favorite books online and encourage them to read along with a physical copy as they listen to the audio version. This is a great activity to target fluency at home! This helps children to hear how the sentences should sound while following along.

Website: Home Reading Helper: https://www.homereadinghelper.org/kindergarten-reading-skills-fluency/

This website provides parents/families with information and activities to engage their child in to enhance their literacy skills. The page linked is to the fluency section. This page talks about the goal for childrens fluency based on their age/grade and several at home activities to do at home. This can be extremely helpful for families looking for ways to connect what their child is learning in school to their home as well.

As you read with your child at home, engage them with comprehension questions as you read. Talk about the setting, the characters, the problem. Ask them questions about what they think will happen, and then at the end review what you read. See if your child can retell the story! Questioning is a great way to work with your child on their comprehension skills and can challenge them to think critically about the story.

Website: Epic https://www.getepic.com/

This website is full of books for your child to listen to on audio and allows them to read along! There is books covering every topic and interest, so there is something for every child! This is a great way for parents/families to engage their child in reading practice and then can be used to ask comprehension questions after.