Language, reading, and writing are linked together, and they develop together continuously through the use of literacy materials. Literacy materials are things such as magazines, books, newspapers, crayons, and markers.
Everything your child has done at previous ages, from gumming a book to singing nursery rhymes, has paved the way for literacy development. Language and literacy skills are learned best when four year olds can enjoy books independently and interact with other children and adults, as well as through literacy rich experiences provided by you.
Printed words, in storybooks or in the environment, allow children to connect themselves to faraway places. Exposure to books and print, as well as having conversations that prompt children to discuss the people and important events in their lives, encourages children to discover that written words are another way to share ideas. It is important to practice literacy skills every day with your four year old by making literacy a part of your routine. Have your four year old repeat a simple story after you read it. Some children are starting to recognize different letters, especially ones in their name; they can connect a letter with the sound it makes and understand that these sounds make up words. Some can already “read” common words they see, like the word stop on the sign at the corner.
Once your child understands and recognizes more words in print, you will find that she loves to play games with words. She wants to have fun with literacy. So join in with her. Read a book and then play act the characters. Using only the pictures in a book make up the story yourselves. Dress up like the characters in a book and write down a new story about them. Literacy skill building can be lots of fun.
Let's do more!
Mona’s mom wants to play a reading game called What Can You Read? Mom writes names of objects around the house (e.g. window, sink, mirror, rail, etc.) on paper and tapes the words next to the object. Mom says, “Mona, let’s play What Can You Read? Go around and find all the words and read them out loud. The ones you can’t read we will do together.”
Because Mom puts the labels next to the objects, she supports her daughter’s early literacy skills. Of fering to help keeps the activity from becoming overwhelming or boring.
Earlier we discussed how reading, writing, and language develop together. In Mona’s game What Can You Read? Mom can extend the learning further to include writing skills. Since your four year old is developing more control over her hands and fingers, she can use literacy materials like pencils. Remember that she is still learning to write letters, so let your child practice with pencils and paper as often as possible.
In this example, after all the words are collected from Mona’s What Can You Read? game, Mom asks Mona to pick two of the words she wants to learn to write. Mona picks box and cup. Mom gives Mona a thin piece of paper to put on top of the card and has Mona trace the letters. When Mona gets the hang of “writing” letters this way, Mom can then provide lined paper. Sit down with your child and have her help you make the shopping list. This activity will support literacy development through writing. It will also get her more involved in making healthful food choices!
Sight Words
Sight words are very important on the path of teaching your child to read. This is a perfect time for parents to learn more about Dolch sight words. Dolch sight words are words that have been identified as high frequency words that will be used starting at the age of four and carry through to seven or eight years of age. These words occur in about 75% of the books and materials children see and need to be learned by memory, regardless of where the child is in phonetical learning. Some of these common sight words include:
all and hot how let not man may dry eat fly of four put red sit some the mom
You can find more sight words below specific to this age and create a sight word wall in your home. Once a week together pick a sight word, tape it on your refrigerator, and try to work on using the word in conversations you have with each other at home.
not one and can for see big red you the run
One thing you may have noticed is that all of these words consist of three letters. Four-letter sight words can be learned after your child masters three-letter sight words. This does not mean your child can only learn to read three-letter words, but it is easier to start off small and build up in complexity.
These words are also good to start with when your child is learning to write. When you use sight words combined with writing, you can also teach the sounds that are associated with each letter. This will support reading and writing development.
Practice reading and writing skills by making a name card for your child. Place it next to things that belong just to your child (e.g. her coat or lunchbox). Make the card colorful and clear. Show your child that the let ters spell an important word: her own name.
Teaching Your Child to Read
Many parents are very excited to start teaching their children to read, but some groundwork must first be laid. Your child needs to know the differences between pictures and print, understand how books are read (from left to right), and see the differences between uppercase and lowercase letters.
Your child can start identifying most letters between the ages of four and five, so now is a great time to start teaching her the alphabet and letter sounds. Parents can then start teaching their children how to pick out and differentiate between individual letter sounds, which is called phoneme isolation. Children who are exposed to more print and text at home tend to make these connections sooner.
There are a number of different ways you can teach your child letter sounds. Start with the your child’s name and sound out each letter by having her clap her hands as she says her name. This can be done with any word; over time, children will grasp this concept of words being broken down into separate sounds and syllables. Once she learns her name phonetically and by spelling it out, go back to the alphabet.
Introduce two letters a week. Pick letters that are important to your child. If she is focused on space, use the letters S and P. Introduce one letter at a time by pointing out things in the house that start with that letter. Say the sound that the letter makes then say the name of the let ter: PUH, P. You can even take turns going through the alphabet using the sounds of the letters instead of the names of the let ters: AH, BUH, KUH, DUH, etc.
By following these steps, you will help your child start reading, which leads to writing.
Teaching your child to read will take more time for some children and less for others. Patience and practice are the keys to success!
