Things you can do at home to help your kindergartener with reading and writing:

v        READ, READ, READ to your child!!!

·             Try themes in your family literacy events.  These themes can be based on upcoming holidays or something that interest your child.

·             Visit your local library with your child and allow them to pick out books he or she finds interesting.

·             Once your child can read, have him or her read aloud to you every day.  You can take turns – you read one page and your child reads the next.  This is just another way to enjoy reading together.

·             Give your child time to enjoy books by themselves.  Allow them to explore the books, even if they are only looking at the pictures. 

v        Have a “Home Journal” where your child can write on Saturday and Sunday about what they have done.

v        Make a family book that is a collection of stories: favorites retold generation after generation or stories of family events (first visit from the tooth fairy).

v        Keep a list on the refrigerator of foods that need to be bought at the grocery store.  Allow your child to add to the list, and when you go shopping have your child read the list to you.

v        Play word games with your child.  Use alphabet cards or magnet letters to play word games.  First write out a word like mat.  Then change the initial sound.  Have the child sound out the word when it becomes fat and then when it becomes sat.  Next change the final sound, so the word changes from sat to sag to sap.  Then change the middle sound, so the word changes from sap to sip.  Make a game of it!!!