Did you know a child's ability to identify letters is one of the best predictors of a child's future reading success? Letter learners are typically ages 3-5 and in preschool, early childhood or 4-year-old kindergarten. These children are learning letter names, letter sounds, how to write their name and other letters, identifying the first sound in words and clapping the syllables in words. Learn more in these videos from our reading specialists, then check out the resources below for activities you can do at home.
Activities to Try at Home:
- Reading aloud! It has so many benefits. A guide to reading aloud to children of all ages can be found here (en Español). We also have a library of online read alouds here.
- Letter matching, memory games and more! Check out this library of easy, printable Alphabet activities (Actividades de Abecedario).
- Help your child expand their vocabulary! Watch this video to learn how OR check out these resources (Spanish version here)
- Kids love picture books because of the pictures, so how do you get them to take notice of the words? Print referencing! Watch this video/vídeo en español to learn how some small changes to the way you read to children can help boost early literacy skills.
- Strong phonemic awareness is one of the strongest predictors of later reading success. Learn more about this set of skills children need to develop before they can learn to read here. Learn more about phonological awareness and find some activities to boost this skill set at home:
- 3 Ways to Make Books with Children (3 maneras para hacer libros con los niños)
- Writing Activities for your Pre-K Child (Ideas para usar con los niños: escritura y ortografía)
- Developing Writing and Spelling at Home (Pre-K) / La escritura en preescolar
Additional Resources
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Songs
Elmo sings the ABCs Rap
Usher’s ABC Song (Sesame Street)
Watch the Letters Get Down
LMNO They Might Be Giants
El alfabeto
El abecedario -
Books
List of alphabet books
Libros del alfabeto - Is your child's language development where it should be? See if your child is hitting developmentally appropriate language milestones here.
- How to print reference and books that work well for print referencing (en español)
- The research behind print referencing
- Learn how to get your child started writing and also improve their writing skills.
