Parents and guardians play a significant role in the development of their children’s literacy skills. Below you will find tips and ideas for helping your children practice and improve these skills.
Click on one of the four broad categories to discover specific tips.
Play word games, like changing one letter in a word. For example, car > can > cat. Start by always changing the same letter, but as your child gains confidence, change any letter in the word. For example cat > hat > hut.
Practice saying tongue twisters to help your child with their pronunciation. Here are a few to help you get started:
As they are learning the alphabet, point out other words that start with the same letter as their name or another family member’s name.
Similarly, you ask them to find an object around them that starts with the same letter as their name.
When reading to your child, give each character a different voice. This will make it more fun, and help them learn about expression.
As you’re reading, pause every so often and ask questions.
Take turns telling a story. Describe one event, and then have your child continue to the story for awhile, before you jump in again.
Write a story with your child. For non-readers, let them draw the story, then ask them about the story they have created. You can be the scribe, writing out the story to go along with the drawing.
Ask them to help you write the grocery list, or a to-do list for the day.
Have your child write down one good thing that happened to them during the day. Keep this list and at the end of the month, you can read them together to remember all the good things that happened recently.
Play word games, like changing one letter in a word. For example, car > can > cat. Start by always changing the same letter, but as your child gains confidence, change any letter in the word. For example cat > hat > hut.
Practice saying tongue twisters to help your child with their pronunciation. Here are a few to help you get started:
As they are learning the alphabet, point out other words that start with the same letter as their name or another family member’s name.
Similarly, you ask them to find an object around them that starts with the same letter as their name.
When reading to your child, give each character a different voice. This will make it more fun, and help them learn about expression.
As you’re reading, pause every so often and ask questions.
Take turns telling a story. Describe one event, and then have your child continue to the story for awhile, before you jump in again.
Write a story with your child. For non-readers, let them draw the story, then ask them about the story they have created. You can be the scribe, writing out the story to go along with the drawing.
Ask them to help you write the grocery list, or a to-do list for the day.
Have your child write down one good thing that happened to them during the day. Keep this list and at the end of the month, you can read them together to remember all the good things that happened recently.