Read in front of your little ones for pleasure
Read with them daily
When reading with them, engage with the story (ask questions, make predictions, etc)
Play with sounds
Have them finish your sentence in a book they know
Ask them to turn the pages
Read, sing, & recite rhymes
Go on an alphabet hunt
Read repetitive text, then ask them to read it (ex: Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See?)
Did I say play with sounds?
I’m not trying to short you on a list of 10, but playing with sounds is that important- I had to list it twice. Lack of phonemic awareness tends to be the missing link for struggling readers. (Read more about phonemic awareness here.) And struggling readers tend to not love reading.
You can make sure your little one doesn’t fall into that category. Simply play with sounds. Ask things like, What’s the first sound in ‘hat’? Or, How many sounds are in the word ‘chop’? Clap out syllables in words. Swap the first sound in a word for a new sound.
These simple, quick activities can make all the difference in the world.
Which of these top ten will you do first?
For more games, check out my Free Activities page.
Happy playing!
