Welcome to the Teach Your Child to Read for FREE Series!
In Kindergarten, it is essential for students to know the names of letters and the sounds they make for basic reading and writing skills. While there is debate as to whether students need to know letter names to be able to read, it is still an essential skill, and the purpose of this post isn’t to debate all the logistics! So, we’re going to start by teaching your child the names of the letters and the sounds they make!
To teach your child their letter names and sounds, this can be done through so many various activities and lessons. However, I first want you to have a way to keep track of what letter names and sounds they know. As a Reading Specialist, we use Marie Clay’s Observation Survey sheet, which you can DOWNLOAD for FREE HERE!
Also, pages 4 and 5 of this FREE Download are the sheet you give to the child while you record the answers! You’re looking to see which letter names and sounds your child knows with this assessment! For example, do they know the letters in their name? This is always a good starting point when teaching them letter names and sounds. Also, please note that the sounds for a,e,i,o, and u are like that it “hat, bed, hit, hot, and hut.”
Each day, your lesson will consist of teaching your child several skills:
1. Letter names and sounds (10-15 minutes)
2. Rhyming and phonemic awareness (10 minutes)
3. Writing (10 minutes)
To be able to conduct these lessons, you will need some resources. These resources are more than just helpful, they are how you will teach!
1. pencils, index cards, black Sharpie Marker, any folders to store papers/supplies. It may benefit you to set up a teaching area in your house where you can store all of your supplies.
2. The free downloads listed above so you can keep track of the letters and sounds your child knows.
3.LeapFrog: Letter Factory
4. Writing paper appropriate for Kindergarten. I recommend School Specialty Handwriting Paper – 1/2 Rule, 1/4 Dotted, 1/4 Skip – 8 x 10 1/2 inch – 500 Sheets
5. A writing journal: Mead Primary Journal K-2nd Grade
6. You can print off a FREE Elkonin Box for Phonemic Awareness HERE!
Once you have your supplies, you’re ready to begin class! We have a ton of valuable resources to help teach your child listed below that are FREE that we’ve rounded up from around the web.
Before/During these lessons, please have your child learn to write their name. You can create their own printable name tracing paper for FREE!
FREE RESOURCES:
Phonemic Awareness:
Phonics:
Create Your Own Phonics Worksheets
Handwriting:
Handwriting Practice Worksheets
Great resources, thank you for sharing those. I will have to check out the letter factory DVD, had not heard of that one before.
Thanks,
I have just ordered this dvd from target after seeing it here & listening to your advice. This dvd has raving good reviews. My daughter has watched a different version of the letter factory but I think this one you mention is better for beginners. I think it might help if I also hold up the lower case letter flash card when the upper case one pops up on the screen.
Great Sara! Yes, let me know if this works for you!
I thank you so much for all of your free reading posts!! Your videos are awesome!
Oh wow!! what great resources to support what I am already using. I find them very interactive and fun exactly what this age loves. I have no doubt they will learn.
Thank you for sharing.