Listening for the first sounds in words is an important step in learning to connect language and reading.
What you'll need:
* Magazines or catalogs with pictures of objects children know.
What to do:
* Have your child choose a magazine or catalog. Invite your child to go on a make-believe shopping trip. Tell your child you will make believe you are shopping for things in the magazine.
Have your child close his or her eyes. Point to an object on the page. Then have your child open his or her eyes. Ask "What are you going to buy?" If your child says, "A hat," ask, "What sound does hat start with?"
Then say, "Good. Hat starts with the sound h."
* Repeat the steps, with each of you taking a turn shopping for something and then naming the first sound of the word that describes it.
READ*WRITE*NOW Activities for Reading and Writing Fun - May 1997
