Children become excited about reading when they begin to use the letter-sounds they know to read words. An important part of reading words is learning to blend the sounds to make a word.
What you'll need:
* A list of easy words that have letters with sounds your child knows. Some good words to start with are :
Sam rag fin man mad fan ran sit fat tan sat fit am dig dim
A piece of paper with a wavy line on which you can write words.
What to do:
* Ask your child, "Do you know how snakes can make the ssssssssss sound for a long time? We're going to say the sounds in words just the way a snake does. We'll stretch out the sounds. Let me show you how."
Write a word on the snake line. "I'm going to say the word fan the way a snake would--ffffffaaaaaannnnn." As you say each sound, trace your finger along the snake line. "The word is fan."
* Invite your child to say a new word the way a snake would. Draw a new snake and write three new letters on it (run). "Good, you read run the snake way."
* Then write the word run on a straight line and have your child read the word the fast way--run. Do this again with other easy words. First, have your child read the word the snake way, then read it the fast way.
READ*WRITE*NOW Activities for Reading and Writing Fun - May 1997
