I added a resource to the post “Number Fun” because I figured not everyone knew how to use/download a new font. So, to make it easier on you, I made a PDF for you to print of the the numbers 1-10 in “Color Font” for the color rubbing activity.
I don’t plan on uploading activities on Saturdays and Sundays, but I did add a new page to the mix that is going to be a quick reference for activities. It is “Activity Archives”. I plan to upload all my activities to that page so they can all be found in one place. Feel free to print and share with others, but they are not to be reproduced for financial gain. Thanks!
Little Miss Muffet would be glad to know that her legend lives on. We all grew up reading, singing, and memorizing a variety of nursery rhymes, but would you know that children are still expected to know nursery rhymes? Yep…it is a GLE (Grade Level Expectation) for pre-k and k kiddos. There are a few reasons behind this seemingly dated benchmark. 1) Children are expected to be able to recognize familiar songs and rhymes for extended learning in classrooms, 2) Children are expected to utilize their memory, 3) Hearing and making up rhymes is a reading indicator!
I understand if you tuned me out for the first two reasons but did you hear what I said? Yes, rhyming is a tier on the reading ladder. If a child can hear and make up rhymes then that means that they can manipulate sounds in words, and manipulating sounds is a big chunk of what reading consists of in early readers. Rhyming is a definite pre-reading activity. 🙂
So, go crazy around your house speaking in rhyme: “Are you ready Freddy?” “See you later gator!” “After a while, crocodile” “That’s easy cheesy!”
Explain to your child that rhymes sound the same at the end of the word. So you can say two rhyming words in a sing-song way and it sounds almost the same, but if you say two non-rhyming words in a sing-song way then it just sounds awkward.
So, check out some mother goose books from the library and read some nursery rhymes to your kids and, of course, here is a hands-on activity.
Open the Rhyming activity attachment. Print it, see if your child can identify all the pictures (name them), and ask your child to color all the words that rhyme with “sat” red (-at word family) and then color all the other pictures whatever other color they would like.
Note: The first rhyming activity you do should focus on seeing if they can hear a rhyme or not. So, if you take out this sheet and say the names of everything on the paper, dont just ask them to find the rhyming words. Ask “Does cat rhyme with sat?” Then, “What about bear? Does bear rhyme with cat?” Say them right next to eat other and wait for a “yes” or “no” from your child. For example, “Cat, sat?” “Bear, Sat?” Give guidance for the activity. If your child says “yes” to cat, say “Good listening! Color it red because cat rhymes with sat!” If your child isn’t getting any right, put the activity sheet away and work on just making up silly rhymes and give this a lot of practice before continuing or moving on.
A great beginner reading activity is to read a book to your child and ask him/her to draw something about it: their favorite part, favorite character, silliest part, etc. If your child says “I dont know how to draw” ask what he wants to draw and give him some simple tips like “Maybe you can draw a circle ‘like this’ for the ‘pig’ in the book”. Then write the date, the book title, and what he drew (the exact way that he dictates it to you) at the top. Read it out loud as you write so that he begins to understand that you are writing in order to tell a story about his drawing. Then, later on, if you ask him to tell you about the book I bet his picture will jog his memory.
I know you are probably beginning to think that you are going to accumulate so much stuff, and you might. But for now, here is something you can do….Start a binder with 3 dividers: Reading, Writing, Math. It will help to keep them organized. Here are three dividing pages for you below if you want them:
If you want to start working with your little one on being able to read then the first order of business is to READ TO THEM! Children love being read to and they love to read. But when they read they need to know that it is OKAY to make up words for all the pictures. Cozy up next to them and ask them to read you a book. If they say “I dont know how to read” then ask them to make up words and explain to them that that is what the writer of the book (or the author) did. Explain that “When Mommy/Daddy reads I read the words the author wrote, but I want to hear your story.” You want them to start telling you about the things they see for several reasons….they will start to understand that print carries a meaning, they will learn that they can use picture clues to help them read, they will start to comprehend the sequence of a story line, and many other pre-reading skills 🙂
