Write on!
Practicing writing is a good way for kids to build reading skills, as it helps them sound out words and shows them how letters form words. In fact, new brain research has shown that writing may be a more natural first learning step than reading.
What you鈥檒l need
- Paper and pencil
What to do
Ask your child to write a grocery list as you both figure out what you need at the store. (Add a couple of challenge words like yogurt, spinach, or peppermint tea to see if he can sound them out) At the store, have your child read out loud and check off your purchases as you throw items into your shopping cart.
Tackling difficult words
Teach your child to attack new words with a vengeance!
What you鈥檒l need
- Cardstock or index card
- Pencil
What to do
Help your child create a 鈥渒iller word bookmark.鈥� Have him decorate one side of it with something he associates with power 鈥� a shark, himself as a super hero, whatever your child is inspired by. As you read together and come across a word that is especially challenging to sound out, write that word down on the bookmark. Then as you read each day, review the words on the bookmark. So as not to overwhelm your child, add only a couple of words a day, but choose examples that require him to use decoding strategies, like breaking the words into chunks and recognizing common suffixes.
Beginnings and endings
Recognizing prefixes and suffixes is a key reading skill.
What you鈥檒l need
- A book at your child鈥檚 level
What to do
Go on a prefix/suffix hunt, and see how many words on the page have a prefix or a suffix. Help your child find the root word, and talk about how the prefix or suffix changes the word’s meaning. For example, 鈥淗ow does the –less on the word thoughtless change the word thought?鈥� or 鈥淲hat does the prefix dis– do to the word appear?鈥�
Wrestling with words that just don鈥檛 play
Some words in English are words that you don鈥檛 want your child to try to decode! Why? Because they are easier to memorize than learning those complex language rules that govern their crazy spelling. (Examples: would, though, through).
What you鈥檒l need
- Markers
- Index cards
- List of sight words (see Sight words for Third Graders)
What to do
It鈥檚 a good idea to make flashcards to practice these tricky words. Write each sight word on an index card, or better yet, have your child write them. A game such as Concentration or Go Fish can make flashcard time more fun.
