LurnSmart https://lurnsmart.com/ The destination for learning. Fri, 28 Apr 2023 02:26:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 20 Best Baby Board Books https://lurnsmart.com/best-baby-board-books/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=best-baby-board-books https://lurnsmart.com/best-baby-board-books/#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2022 10:32:53 +0000 https://lurnsmart.com/?p=18543 Reading books to babies is a wonderful way to connect with them! The closeness they feel as they sit on your lap, curiously looking at the pictures and enjoying hearing your voice, helps their brain associate reading with love, warmth, …

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Reading books to babies is a wonderful way to connect with them!

The closeness they feel as they sit on your lap, curiously looking at the pictures and enjoying hearing your voice, helps their brain associate reading with love, warmth, and happiness.

And it is what is responsible for helping them develop a lifelong love for reading!

Apart from this, reading to babies has a myriad of benefits:

  • Enhances language development.
  • Builds listening skills.
  • Increases concentration and attention.
  • Teaches social and emotional skills.
  • Introduces important concepts such as letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and more!

WHY BOARD BOOKS FOR BABIES?

Babies are curious little beings!

They learn about the world around them through their senses.

Thus, chewing and ripping off pages are the most obvious things that will happen when you introduce books to the youngest of children.

And saving books from those tiny hands can be a parent’s worst nightmare. Lol!

But you don’t have to worry about it with board books as they are perfect for babies.

They are thick and durable.

Unlike paper cover and hardcover, the entire book, including the cover and the pages, is made of cardboard. Even the corners are rounded out to not harm those little hands.

And, trust me, when I say this – it can withstand all the chewing, yanking, and much more!

WHERE TO BUY BABY BOARD BOOKS?

If you are an Amazon shopper like me, you can check out the list of best board books for babies on my Amazon storefront.

  • Amazon IN
  • Amazon US
  • Amazon CA

You can also check out your local book store like Barnes & Nobles.

And if you are looking for used baby board books then sales at your local library or bookstores, thrift books, and Facebook Marketplace are some great places to look for.

If you are lucky, you can even get books for as little as $0.99.

CHOOSING BABY BOARD BOOKS

Although you can read any board book to your baby, it is important to choose your books wisely especially if your baby has started moving!

Because babies don’t sit and wait to be entertained!

They entertain themselves!

If they feel that the reading time is boring, they simply move away!

And there is nothing that we can do to stop them from exploring that cardboard box or that dirty rug lying in the corner of the room!

Here are 3 things to keep in mind while choosing board books for babies:

  • Is the text rhythmic and repetitive?
    • This will get your baby’s attention.
  • Are the pictures high contrast?
    • This will stimulate their senses.
  • Is the book textural and interactive?
    • This will maintain your baby’s curiosity.
    • Examples: Touch-and-feel and flip-the-flap.

Remember, not all board books are created equal!

Some are better for toddlers and preschoolers.

So, if your baby is not enjoying a board book, don’t worry! You can save it for the toddler years.

But if your baby is a little book lover, then go for it! Read all the board books that you can find 😊

Below is the list of must-read board books for toddlers if you are looking for more books to read:

  • 30 Best Books for Toddlers

20 BEST BABY BOARD BOOKS

If you are looking for books to read during the first year, then here is a list of some of the most loved and popular baby board books around.

And I have listed them out in no particular order.

I hope you and your baby enjoy them as much as we did!

Happy Reading!

Look, Look, by Peter Linenthal

best baby board book

For the first couple of months, newborns can only see black and white.

This makes this high-contrast, black-and-white book great for those fuzzy eyes–Look, look! The sun shines! Children smile! Fish smiles!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle

board books for babies

Invite your baby to participate in reading by asking the question “What do you see?”

An all-time favorite book that is great for learning about colors and animals.

Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd

Baby board books

Who can resist a cute little bunny? Join along as he says goodnight to every object in his room and the world outside his window.

A perfect book to make your child’s bedtime cozy and memorable.

I Love You as Big as the World, by David Van Buren, Illustrated by Tim Warnes

A charming little book to help you explain the depth of love that you have for your baby!

Moo Baa La La La!, by Sandra Boynton

Want to introduce your child to animals and their sounds? Then this delightful book is just what you are looking for. So get ready to moo, oink, and neigh!

From Head to Toe, by Eric Carle

Want your baby to listen and follow simple instructions?

An adventurous book to help practice listening skills while having fun thumping like a gorilla, kicking like a donkey, and wiggling like a crocodile!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle

I bet your child will enjoy poking those little fingers through the holes and munching along with the very hungry caterpillar.

A perfect little interactive book to introduce numbers and days of the week!

Sniff, by Matthew Van Fleet

A perfect book to explore nasal sounds, colors, actions, and more! If your baby like Sniff, you can try other board books in the series, including Munch and Lick.

Peekaboo Kisses, by Barney Saltzberg

A cute little interactive book that will encourage your baby to lift the flaps for soft, fuzzy, squeaky, and adorable kisses.

If your baby adores this book, you can try other board books in the series, including Animal Kisses, and Animal Baby Kisses.

Peek-a Who? by Nina Laden

Colorful illustrations, simple rhyming texts, and the anticipation of what’s hiding on the next page will get your little one guessing and giggling!

A fun interactive book to read aloud for story time!

Where’s the Astronaut, by Nosy Crow

A simple yet fun little interactive book to learn about outer space while playing hide-and-seek—Where’s the space dog? Here it is!

Baby happy, baby sad, by Leslie Patricelli

best baby board books

Emotions are a huge part of a baby’s day. This brilliant little book will help your little one relate to all those emotions in a playful way!

I’ve Loved You Since Forever, by Hoda Kotb

The stunning pictures and lyrical text will make you want to read this heartwarming book over and over again.

A perfect little book to snuggle up with your little one.

Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill

best baby board books

Introduce your baby to the beautiful world with Spot! Simple text and colorful pictures make this little interactive book engaging and interesting.

If your baby likes Spot, which I bet your baby will, there are other books in the series, including Spot’s First Walk, and Spot’s Snowy Day.

Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell

Your baby will enjoy lifting the flaps to discover the different animals that the zoo sends–monkey, lion, elephant!

A classic children’s book that is delightful and amusing!

Snuggle Puppy, by Sandra Boynton

I bet your baby will want you to read this book over and over again not only because of the sweet and cuddly puppy but because of that BIG SMOOCH you’ll have to give at the end!

Little Gorilla, by Ruth Bornstein

The little gorilla discovers that LOVE grows with him!

A heartwarming book to reassure your little one that they will grow and change but will always be loved.

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, by Mem Fox

Celebrate your baby’s tiny fingers and toes with this stunning little book! The lyrical text will make you want to read the book over and over again.

Where Is Baby’s Belly Button, by Karen Katz

best baby board books

Vibrant illustrations and interactive text will get your baby searching for their hands, eyes, feet, and more!

A delightful little book to help explore the different body parts.

Sunrise Moonrise, by Betsy Thompson

A beautiful high-contrast book to help your baby understand how the day begins and ends.

More Book List:

Hope you found the 20 Best Baby Board Books list useful!

Here are our other book lists:

Btw, do you have a favorite board book?

Do share it in the comments.

Would love to check it out!

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6 Important Pre Reading Skills to Prepare Your Child for Reading Success https://lurnsmart.com/pre-reading-skills-for-reading-success/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pre-reading-skills-for-reading-success https://lurnsmart.com/pre-reading-skills-for-reading-success/#respond Sun, 16 May 2021 06:35:26 +0000 https://lurnsmart.com/?p=11549 Do you know that there are 6 important pre-reading skills that your child needs to develop in order to become a successful reader and speller? Oftentimes, these pre-reading skills are ignored but research shows that the development of these skills …

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Do you know that there are 6 important pre-reading skills that your child needs to develop in order to become a successful reader and speller?

Oftentimes, these pre-reading skills are ignored but research shows that the development of these skills is the very foundation on which all other literacy skills such as phonics, advanced spelling skills, and vocabulary are built. 

Before we learn about each individual pre-reading skill and ways to help your child develop them easily, think of these skills as the foundation of a house.

The journey of a successful Reader

We can build a house without a foundation, no problem!

But we all know that a house without a foundation would not be strong!

So what should we do to build a strong house?

Simple!

Lay a strong, solid foundation!

Similarly, to help your child become a confident reader and speller, it is important to build 6 foundational (pre-reading) skills first. Coz’ without those skills, chances are, your child might struggle to read and might not enjoy the whole ‘learning to read’ experience.

So remember…..

Strong foundation = strong house
Strong foundational skills = confident and successful reader

6 Important Pre Reading Skills to Prepare Your Child for Reading Success:

Now that you have learned that the 6 pre-reading skills are foundational to your child’s reading success, let us learn about each of these skills and ways you can develop them easily.

1. SOUND AWARENESS: 

Pre-Reading Skill -SOUND AWARENESS

The first and the most important pre-reading skill that your child needs to develop is ‘sound awareness’ also known as ‘phonemic awareness.’ 

We all know that when children first begin to speak, they don’t use words or speak in full sentences, right?

Instead, they begin with the sounds in the language!

All the cooing and babbling are nothing but a baby’s attempt to produce speech sounds in his or her native language.

I know, you must be aware of this already! 

But what you might not know is…..

This awareness of sounds not only helps children learn to speak the language effortlessly but can also help them learn to read the language easily because, ‘sounds are the building blocks of words, both spoken and written.’

Here’s an example!

If a child can hear and identify the three sounds /k/ /a/ /t/ in the word CAT in the spoken language, doing the same in the written language becomes easy and simple. 

So remember…..

“Hearing is the first step in learning to read.” 

To learn more about how to develop your child’s sound awareness in English through fun games and activities, check out the below blog posts:

If you are new to the sounds in English, then watch my video, the 44 Phonics Sounds in English. 

Pre-Reading Skill - PRINT MOTIVATION

When we enjoy something, we are naturally motivated to do MORE of it simply because it fills us up with joy, excitement, and happiness, right?

Well, the same is true with kids who enjoy books and stories because these kids are naturally motivated to learn to read.

But what if your child does not enjoy being read to?

If you are a parent who feels that irrespective of what you do, you simply can’t get your child to like books, then check out my post 12 Genius Ways to Create a Love for Reading Books in Kids.

Pre-Reading Skill - PRINT AWARENESS

Learning to read doesn’t happen overnight!

So before children learn to read, they should first learn some basic concepts such as…

  • How to hold a book right.
  • Learn that text is read from left to right. 
  • Understand that letters form words and words can be put together to convey a thought. 

This might seem simple but children are not born knowing these concepts. And so, it is something that they need to learn eventually.

Research shows that learning these concepts happens easily and effortlessly when children are surrounded by print. 

To learn how to develop your child’s print awareness easily, you can read my blog post 3 Powerful Tips to Promote Print Awareness + Print Awareness Checklist.

4. ALPHABET KNOWLEDGE: 

ALPHABET KNOWLEDGE

Alphabet knowledge is the recognition of letters by their names, sounds, and shapes. 

As Marilyn Jager Adams, cognitive and developmental psychologist, puts it, alphabet knowledge is “one of the best predictors for early reading success.”

Most children learn the letters of the alphabet before they even know what it is through the Alphabet SongBut once they are familiar with the letter names, it is important to help them associate letter names with their respective letter shapes!

And….. alphabet charts, alphabet stickers, alphabet books, alphabet puzzles, alphabet mats, and magnetic letters are some great tools that can help you get your child familiar with alphabet shapes!

By the way, if you are looking for more fun ways to teach the letters of the alphabet to your child, then check out my blog post 5 Interesting Activities to Teach the Letter Sounds + FREE Printables.

5. VOCABULARY: 

VOCABULARY

We all know, that if a child knows a lot of words, the child is SMART! 

But do you know that if a child knows a lot of words, it is easier to learn to read?

According to a report published by the National Reading Panel, for a child to achieve reading success, the child should first be able to understand what he or she reads.

But to understand what he or she reads, the child should first be familiar with the words and their meaning.

So remember…..

Familiar words = easy to understand = motivation to read = reading success
 

What is cool about having the motivation to read is that it results in the child learning more new words. It is like a cycle!  

So if you want to learn interesting ways to help expand your child’s vocabulary, check out my blog post 12 Killer Ways to Build English Vocabulary for Kids.

6. COMPREHENSION:

COMPREHENSION

Comprehension is the ability to understand what you read!  

Oftentimes, parents including some educators believe that comprehension comes only after the child learns to read.

But this is so not true!

Let me ask you a question!

Would you have the motivation to continue with a task when you can’t make head or tail out of it?

No, right?

Likewise, children would not have the motivation to learn to read if they can’t make sense of what they read!

Hence, it’s essential to set the stage prior to helping children learn to read, so they have the motivation to keep reading. 

You see, children are naturally curious. If they can understand that the story is about a little monkey who was lost in the forest, they will be curious to find out what happens to that little monkey. And this curiosity is what will eventually motivate them to learn to read! 

If you want to learn more about how to develop your child’s comprehension skills, then check out my blog post 10 Effective Strategies to Improve Reading Comprehension for Kids.

As I mentioned earlier in this post, developing these 6 pre-reading skills—sound awareness, print motivation, print awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension is foundational to your child’s reading success.

So starting today, focus on building these 6 foundational skills and set your child up for success!

Did you find this post, 6 Important Pre Reading Skills to Prepare Your Child for Reading Success useful?

If you did, then share this post with your friends!

Thanks in advance for doing so 😉 

Final Notes:

If you are supporting your child to read at home, then you might want to read my blog post Teach Your Child to Read Using Phonics: The Ultimate 7-Step Guide for step-by-step instructions and all the necessary resources that you might need to help your child read and spell easily!

If you are looking for a kid’s reading program, I welcome you to join our LURN Phonics Kid’s Reading Program which is a step-by-step parent-led program that is designed to help your child read and spell fluently and efficiently!

To take up this program, you do not need any prior phonics knowledge or teaching experience!

Everything is so simplified for you that all you need is a playful attitude and the enthusiasm to set aside 10-15 minutes a day to teach your child to read!

The best part is, our reading program is multisensorial and fun-based so no more tears while learning to read but lots of fun and play!

So go ahead and check out our LURN Phonics Kid’s Reading Program and I cannot wait to help you help your little one become an amazing reader and speller 🙂

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7 Fun Ways to Teach Sight Words to Kids + FREE Dolch Sight Words Chart https://lurnsmart.com/fun-ways-to-teach-sight-words/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fun-ways-to-teach-sight-words https://lurnsmart.com/fun-ways-to-teach-sight-words/#respond Thu, 13 May 2021 13:56:07 +0000 https://lurnsmart.com/?p=13609         Looking for fun ways to teach sight words to kids? Here are some simple yet engaging sight word activities that you can do at home to help your child learn sight words. >>>>>Grab your FREE Dolch …

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Looking for fun ways to teach sight words to kids? 

Here are some simple yet engaging sight word activities that you can do at home to help your child learn sight words.  

Before we get to the fun part, what are sight words anyway?

What is a Sight Word?  

What are sight words?

Although a sight word can be any word that you read by sight without much effort, in the field of early literacy, a sight word is a word that appears frequently in print.

Because these frequently appearing (high-frequency) words make up more than 70% of words in children’s books, children are often encouraged to memorize them by heart.

Here are some examples!

and, you, is, in, one, 

There are nearly 300 such words that kids need to learn to become fluent and efficient in reading, check out our FREE Dolch Sight Words Chart at the end of this post for the sight words list to teach your child. 

Decodable vs Non-Decodable Sight Words:

There are 2 types of sight words–decodable sight words and non-decodable sight words!

To achieve reading fluency, in English children should be able to recognize these two types of words easily.

1. Decodable sight words:

Decodable sight words are frequently appearing words that can be read by sounding out the letters. 

For example,
The word ‘and’ can be read by sounding out the three letters in the word — /a/ /n/ /d/ and then by blending the three sounds together.

Although words like ‘and’ can be sounded out, children are still expected to read them by sight!

Why?

You might ask!

Well, because, if you take a book, how many times do you think the word ‘and’ would appear in the book when compared to words like ‘clock’ ‘time’ ‘bus’?

Many times right?

So imagine how a child might feel every time he or she has to sound out the letters in the word ‘and’ in order to read the word?

Moreover, sounding out each and every word in the sentence/book would take the child forever to complete the book!

On the contrary, if the child can read frequently appearing words like and, is, in, etc. without much effort, the child can then focus on decoding other less familiar words in the sentence without getting bored or frustrated.

2. Non-decodable sight words:

Non-decodable sight words are frequently appearing words that cannot be sounded out easily but have to be read by sight.

Reading these words can be tricky for children hence these words are also called tricky words.
For example,

 
The word ‘one’ does not have the letter ‘w’ but begins with the sound /w/ so the only option is to memorize the word by heart.
 
So the bottom line is, irrespective of whether a sight word is decodable or non-decodable, children are often encouraged to memorize them as a whole to:
  1. Reduce the time spent decoding words.
  2. Increase reading speed and fluency. 
  3. Reduce frustration and boredom. 

7 Fun Ways to Teach Sight Words to Kids:

Now that we know what sight words are, teaching them to kids can seem like a tedious task. But the trick is to turn teaching sight words into a fun game!

Here are 7 fun ways to teach sight words through games & activities!

1. SIGHT WORDS MEMORY GAME: 

Fun Ways to Teach Sight Words - Memory Game

This is a standard memory game!

What I love about this sight word memory game is that it provides lots of opportunities to practice reading sight words while improving memory and concentration!  

Things You Need: 

  • Two sets of sight word flashcards.
  • Alternatively, you can also write two sets of sight words on chits of paper. 

Instruction: 

  • Place the sight word flashcards/chits of paper face up and let your child read the word and find its pair. 
  • Alternatively, you can place the flashcards/chits of paper face down instead of face up and let your child pick the pair from memory.

2. FLY SWAT:

Fun Ways to Teach Sight Words - Fly Swat

This is a fun sight word game that you can play with your child to build speed and confidence in identifying and reading sight words. 

Things You Need: 

  • Toy bug swatter/bat or other similar objects. 
  • One set of sight word flashcards.
  • Alternatively, you can also write two sets of sight words on chits of paper. 

Instruction: 

  • Pick 10 sight word flashcards/chits of paper that you wrote the sight words on and place them on the floor. 
  • Pretend that the cards are bugs. 
  • Call out a sight word and let your child swat the card (bug) using a toy bug swatter/bat. 

3. ERASE/CIRCLE THE SIGHT WORD: 

Fun Ways to Teach Sight Words - ERASE/CIRCLE

This is a simple sight word game that provides your child with lots of opportunities to practice reading sight words as well as identify and differentiate them from one another. 

Things You Need: 

  • Whiteboard. 
  • Dry erase marker.
  • Eraser. 

Instructions: 

  • Write 5-10 sight words on the whiteboard. 
  • Call out a sight word and let your child identify the sight word and erase/circle it. 

4. FOLLOW THE PATH FOR YOUR TREAT: 

sight word games - FOLLOW THE PATH FOR YOUR TREAT

This is a fun sight word game that you can play on a rainy day!

Especially, when you want to get some of that extra energy out of your child.

What I truly like about this game is that it involves a lot of movement while making the whole learning process fun and interesting for the child. 

Things You Need: 

  • A treat.
  • One set of sight word flashcards.
  • Alternatively, you can write sight words on chits of paper. 

Instruction: 

  • Decide on the list of sight words you want your child to practice. 
  • Accordingly, pick the sight word flashcards/chits of paper that you wrote the sight words on and arrange them face up to make a twisty path on the floor. 
  • Be creative and let the path go under the table and over the furniture for some extra fun. 
  • Your child has to read the sight word as he or she follows the path to discover the hidden treat at the end.  

5. SIGHT WORD PARKING LOT

Fun Ways to Teach Sight Words - Parking Lot

If you have a car lover, this game is a must-try! 

I bet this game will keep your little car-lover entertained while providing the needed repetition to build speed and confidence in recognizing sight words. 

Things You Need: 

  • Chalk. 
  • Toy cars.  

Instruction: 

  • Using the chalk draw a parking lot with 10 parking spots. 
  • Write a sight word in each of the parking spots.  
  • Call out a sight word and let your child drive his/her favorite car to the correct parking spot. 

Vrrrroooommmmm!

6. WORD BUILDING: 

Sight word games - WORD BUILDING

This is a quiet game that you can play on a Saturday afternoon!

What I like about this game is that it helps the child practice spelling and reading sight words. 

Things You Need: 

  • Magnetic letters.
  • One set of sight word flashcards.
  • Alternatively, you can write sight words on chits of paper. 

Instruction

  • Pick 5 or 10 sight words that you want your child to practice. 
  • Let your child use the sight word flashcards/chits of paper as a reference and build the words using magnetic letters. 

7. SIGHT WORD COUNT: 

Sight word fun - Word Count Game

An enjoyable game that adds an extra dose of fun and joy to your daily reading time while helping your child identify and read sight words in real-time. By the way, this is a fun way to introduce toddlers and preschoolers to the world of sight words!

Things You Need: 

  • Children’s storybooks. 

Instructions: 

  • During your everyday reading session, pick simple 2 or 3 letter sight words and see how many times it appears in the book. 

Resources to Teach Sight Words to Kids: 

Now that you have 7 fun ways to teach sight words in your toolbox, grab your FREE Dolch Sight Words Chart to get the list of sight words to teach your child. 

If you are looking for worksheets to do hands-on sight word activities with your child then check out our Dolch Sight Words Digital Bundle for Kids (Level 1 – 5).

This bundle includes:

  • 100+ worksheets that are filled with amazing activities such as cutting, gluing, coloring, tracing, writing, unscrambling, and more!
  • 220 Dolch Sight Word cards.

Dolch Sight Words Worksheets

You can also get Level 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 Dolch Sight Words Digital Workbooks individually from our shop

What are Dolch Sight Words?  

By the way, if you are someone who is wondering what Dolch sight words are, here is a little background for you! 

Dolch Sight words is a list of sight words that was originally created by Edward William Dolch, a children’s book author and a major proponent of beginning reading instruction.

He came up with this sight word list which includes the most commonly occurring words in children’s books to assist children in achieving reading fluency in English.

Since then this list of sight words has been used in most reading programs around the world!

So that is all there is about sight words!

I hope you found the 7 fun ways to teach sight words to kids and the resources shared in this post useful!

If you did, don’t forget to let us know in the comments below!

Also, share this post with your friends coz’ sharing is caring 😉

Final Notes:

f you are supporting your child to read at home, then you might want to read my blog post Teach Your Child to Read Using Phonics: The Ultimate 7-Step Guide for step-by-step instructions and all the necessary resources that you might need to help your child read and spell easily!

If you are looking for a kid’s reading program, I welcome you to join our LURN Phonics Kid’s Reading Program which is a step-by-step parent-led program that is designed to help your child read and spell fluently and efficiently!

To take up this program, you do not need any prior phonics knowledge or teaching experience!

Everything is so simplified for you that all you need is a playful attitude and the enthusiasm to set aside 10-15 minutes a day to teach your child to read!

The best part is, our reading program is multisensorial and fun-based so no more tears while learning to read but lots of fun and play!

So go ahead and check out our LURN Phonics Kid’s Reading Program and I cannot wait to help you help your little one become an amazing reader and speller 🙂

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5 Simple Activities to Teach the Schwa Sound for Kids https://lurnsmart.com/activities-to-teach-the-schwa-sound/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=activities-to-teach-the-schwa-sound https://lurnsmart.com/activities-to-teach-the-schwa-sound/#respond Mon, 10 May 2021 13:33:20 +0000 https://lurnsmart.com/?p=13698         Do you know that the schwa sound is the most common yet the trickiest sound in English? Many people are not aware of this sound! Most schools, including popular phonics curriculums around the world, leave this …

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Do you know that the schwa sound is the most common yet the trickiest sound in English? 

Many people are not aware of this sound! 

Most schools, including popular phonics curriculums around the world, leave this sound out of the equation simply because it is such a hard nut to crack. 

But the truth is, far from confusing kids, learning about the schwa sound can save them from a lot of headaches, especially if they are English learners.

Here’s how!

Being aware of the schwa sound can empower kids to:

  • Decode words with complex spellings easily.
  • Encode words with strange spelling patterns efficiently. 
  • Pronounce words correctly and more naturally.

So in this post, apart from helping you get familiar with the schwa sound, I’m going to share with you 5 simple activities to introduce this mysterious sound to kids!

So keep reading!

What is the schwa sound in English?

Have you ever tried to sound out a word but it simply didn’t make any sense?

You tried the short vowel sound, the long vowel sound but nothing seemed to work?

Well, that might be because the sound you were trying to decode was probably the schwa sound!

If you have the habit of using a dictionary, you might have seen the schwa many times. It is represented by an inverted e—‘ə’. 

The schwa is often called the ‘laziest sound’ in English because the tongue, lips, and jaw are so relaxed that when you say this sound, it sounds as if you are letting out a teeny tiny ‘burp’—/uh/.

what is a schwa

Examples of Schwa words:

Here are some examples of the schwa sound in words:

Banana – /b/ /ə/ /n/ /a/ /n/ /ə/ – The first and last ‘a’ in the word ‘banana’ are schwa. 

The – /th/ /ə/ – The word ‘the’ which is often introduced to the child as a sight word can
be segmented because the ‘e’ in ‘the’ is a schwa. 

Family – /f/ /a/ /m/ /ə/ /l/ /E/ – the ‘i’ in ‘family’ is the schwa. 

Amazing – /ə/ /m/ /A/ /z/ /i/ /ng/ – the ‘a’ in ‘amazing’ is the schwa.

Mountain – /m/ /ou/ /t/ /ə/ /n/ – the digraph ‘ai’ in ‘mountain’ is the schwa.

Why is it Challenging to Teach the Schwa to Kids?

As you might have noticed from the above examples, teaching the schwa to kids is no joke!

Here are 3 reasons why most schools, including popular phonics curriculums around the world, don’t teach this sound to kids: 

  1. All the vowels a, e, i, o, u as well as the letter ‘y’ and combination of letters such as ‘ai’
    make the
    schwa sound. 
  2. There is no rule to explain how the letters spell the ‘schwa’. The only option is to
    remember the letter that spells the
    schwa sound by heart. 
  3. To add to the confusion, the schwa sound and the ‘short u’ sound /u/ sound a lot similar.
    The only difference is, the
    schwa is a much-reduced sound. 

why is schwa difficult to teach

5 Simple Activities to Teach the Schwa Sound in English to Kids: 

Indeed, the schwa is such a hard nut to crack!

But it doesn’t mean that you should not teach this sound to kids.

As I already mentioned earlier in this post, learning about this sound can help kids understand the English spelling system better.

So as mysterious and confusing as this sound might seem, here are 5 simple activities to help you teach this tricky sound to your child. 

1. USE AN ONLINE KID’S DICTIONARY: 

I agree that teaching the schwa sound in English can be tricky!

So wait until your child can confidently decode words using the 26 letter sounds and the 18 digraph sounds before introducing the schwa sound.  

Let me give you a heads up!

When you first introduce the schwa sound, some kids might get excited, while others might find it confusing. 

If your child finds the schwa sound confusing, don’t fret!

It is normal at the beginning but, trust me, the more your child notices this sound in words, the more confident your child will get in tackling this complicated sound in English. 

So when you come across a word that has the schwa sound, point to how the vowel does not make either the short or the long sound instead makes a new sound.

kid's dictionary

An easy way to help your child identify the new sound that the vowel makes is to teach your child how to use a children’s dictionary.

Encourage your child to look at the phonetic symbols to see if there is an inverted ‘e‘ə’. If there is an inverted e—‘ə’, the mysterious sound in the word is the schwa

If you use an online dictionary, things get really simple and interesting!

Because apart from spotting the inverted e—‘ə’, your child can also listen to how the word is being pronounced and practice it to get it right! This will be most helpful if your child is an English learner. 

2. SAY THE SHORT/LONG VOWEL SOUND: 

A fun way to remember the letter(s) that make the schwa sound in words is to pronounce the letter(s) with its short/long vowel sound or the digraph sound.

Kids find this silly so learning the spelling becomes sticky!

So play along, change your tone of voice, sound like a robot or a mouse for some extra fun!

short/long vowel sound

Here’s an example!

In the word BaNAN-a, the first and last ‘a’ make the schwa sound but
instead of the ‘schwa’ sound, sound out the ‘a’ with the short /a/ sound.  

Our son really enjoys spotting the schwa and pronouncing the word the way it is spelled.

So I highly recommend you give this a try!

But before you do, please make sure that your child knows the correct pronunciation of the word, especially if your child is an English learner. Because we do not want our children to end up mispronouncing words!

3. USE THE SCHWA WORD CHART: 

Another interesting way to learn the spelling for words that have the schwa sound is to group words based on the letter(s) that make the schwa sound. You can also make a list of words based on spelling patterns. 

the schwa sound

Here are some examples!

  • Wordlist based on the letter: ‘a’ word list – about, again, around
  • Wordlist based on the spelling pattern: ‘-tion’ word list – action, ambition, option. 

So once you have your word chart ready, go through the wordlist and point to the vowel that makes the schwa sound.

Since there is no rule to explain why the vowel in the word makes the schwa sound, it is important that you build your child’s visual memory so your child remembers the word and its spelling easily.

If you are looking for a list of schwa words to help your child get familiar with the words and their spellings, check out our Schwa Sound Spelling Pack.

This list includes 150 commonly used schwa words for kids! 

4.  MARK THE OPEN SYLLABLE: 

If your child is familiar with syllables and their types, you can encourage your child to identify the open syllable in the word. Because the vowel in the open syllable either makes a short sound, a long sound, or the schwa sound!

Although there is no rule to tell you which sound the open vowel makes for sure, instead of being clueless, learning what to expect can save your child from a lot of confusion.

 open syllable

Here’s an example!

In the word ‘ba-NAN-a’, the first and last syllables are open syllables so the vowel ‘a’ in those syllables make the schwa sound – /b/ /ə/ /n/ /a/ /n/ /ə/.  

5.  MARK THE UNSTRESSED SYLLABLE: 

Another interesting way to identify the schwa is to teach your child to identify the unstressed syllables in words.  

In English, a multi-syllable word has one syllable that is stressed and one or more syllables that are unstressed.

The vowel in the unstressed syllable usually makes the schwa sound!

unstressed syllable

Here’s an example!

In the word ‘ba-NAN-a’, the stress is on the second syllable, so the vowel ‘a’ in the first and the last unstressed syllable makes the schwa sound – /b/ /ə/ /n/ /a/ /n/ /ə/. 

NOTE: To identify the stressed and unstressed syllables in a word, refer to a dictionary. The stressed syllable is often indicated by a stress mark, a symbol that resembles an apostrophe. 

In the word banana (bə-ˈnan-ə), the second syllable ‘nan’ has the stress mark so it is the stressed syllable and the rest are unstressed syllables. 

So once you help your child identify the unstressed syllable, look at the vowel, what sound does it make? 

Of course, it makes the schwa sound! 

SUMMARY: 

The schwa sound is….

  • The most common yet the trickiest sound in English.
  • It sounds like a teeny tiny ‘burp’—/uh/.
  • It is represented by an inverted e—‘ə’.
  • It sounds a lot like the short ‘u’ sound – /u/. 
  • All the vowels a, e, i, o, u as well as letter y and the combination of letters such as ‘ai’ make the schwa sound. 
  • There is no rule to tell you how the vowels spell the schwa
  • The only way to remember the letter that spells the schwa sound is to memorize it by heart.

I hope you found this post informative! 

If you did, let me know in the comments below.

Would love to know! 

Final Notes:

If you are supporting your child to read at home, then you might want to read my blog post Teach Your Child to Read Using Phonics: The Ultimate 7-Step Guide for step-by-step instructions and all the necessary resources that you might need to help your child read and spell easily!

If you are looking for a kid’s reading program, I welcome you to join our LURN Phonics Kid’s Reading Program which is a step-by-step parent-led program that is designed to help your child read and spell fluently and efficiently!

To take up this program, you do not need any prior phonics knowledge or teaching experience!

Everything is so simplified for you that all you need is a playful attitude and the enthusiasm to set aside 10-15 minutes a day to teach your child to read!

The best part is, our reading program is multisensorial and fun-based so no more tears while learning to read but lots of fun and play!

So go ahead and check out our LURN Phonics Kid’s Reading Program and I cannot wait to help you help your little one become an amazing reader and speller 🙂

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A Complete Guide to Teach Digraph Sounds to Kids + Fun Activity Ideas https://lurnsmart.com/teach-digraph-sounds-to-kids/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=teach-digraph-sounds-to-kids https://lurnsmart.com/teach-digraph-sounds-to-kids/#respond Thu, 06 May 2021 12:43:08 +0000 https://lurnsmart.com/?p=13687         ‘What are digraph sounds?’ ‘How can I teach digraph sounds to my child?’ ‘My child struggles to notice digraphs in words, what should I do?’  If you are new to phonics teaching, the whole thing can …

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‘What are digraph sounds?’

‘How can I teach digraph sounds to my child?’

My child struggles to notice digraphs in words, what should I do?’ 

If you are new to phonics teaching, the whole thing can be overwhelming and confusing!

Don’t worry! 

In this post, I’ll help you learn all about an important phonics buzzword-digraphs and also share some interesting tips, strategies, and activity ideas to teach this important concept to your child.

So keep reading!

By the way, if you’re in a hurry, you can click on the link that is more relevant to you to get to a particular section of the blog post: 

What are digraph sounds?

I assume that you are familiar with the 26 letter sounds A-Z, which are single letters representing a sound. 

Letter Sound = ONE LETTER representing ONE SOUND

Here is an example, 

The letter M makes the /m/ sound.

Note: If you want to learn fun ways to teach the 26 letter sounds in English to your child then check out my blog post 5 Interesting Activities to Teach the Letter Sounds + FREE Printables

Anyway, unlike single letter sounds, digraphs are two letters that join together to make a new sound.

Digraphs = TWO LETTERS representing ONE SOUND

Here are is an example,

In the word SHIP, the first two letters ‘s’ and ‘h’ join together to make the /sh/ sound.

Difference between Digraphs and Blends: 

Oftentimes, people confuse digraphs with blends however digraphs and blends are not the same. 

Digraphs: When two letters are put together, they make ONE sound.  

Example: ‘ch’ in chick.

Blends: When two letters are put together, you hear BOTH sounds. 

Example: ‘bl’ and ‘nd’ in blend

Difference between Digraphs and Blends

Learning to differentiate digraphs from blends is essential.

So right from the very beginning encourage your child to pay close attention to the sounds in the word.

If you are looking for digraphs and blends list, then check out our FREE Digraphs Cards and FREE Consonant Blends Cards.

How to Introduce Digraph Sounds to Kids?

There are 18 digraphs and alternatives that you need to teach your child.

Although there is no one particular order to introduce digraphs, introducing them in logical and sequential order will help your child understand and remember them easily. 

In our LURN Phonics-Reading Program for Kids, we introduce digraphs and their alternative spellings in the below order: 

  • Long Vowel Sounds – Two vowel letters or a vowel and the letters ‘y’/’w’ join together to make a new sound. Example: /ai/ as in sail.
  • Consonant Digraphs – Two consonant letters pair up to make a new sound. Example: /sh/ as in ship.
  • R-Controlled Sounds – When an R appears next to a vowel, it controls the vowel and makes it say a new sound. Example: /ar/ as in car.
  • Vowel Digraphs – Two vowels or a vowel and the letters ‘y’/‘w’ pair up to make a new sound. Example: /aw/ as in jaw.

Fun Activity Ideas to Teach Digraph Sounds: 

There are many ways to teach digraphs to kids, here are my top 5 picks: 

1. DIGRAPH MNEMONIC FLASHCARDS: 

Mnemonics is a memory device that helps learners learn and recall information easily.

You can either come up with your own pictures to help your child learn the digraph sounds and their spellings or use our Digraph Mnemonic cards.

Apart from using these cards to aid your child to link the digraph sounds and their spellings, you can play a fun game of ‘See and Act.’

To play this game, just show a card and let your child say the sound, and do the action. 

This will help your child practice identifying and recognizing digraphs as quickly as possible. 

digraphs mnemonic cards

2. DIGRAPH CLIP CARDS:

Digraph clip cards require the child to look at the picture, identify the digraph and choose from the options. 

You can download our FREE Digraph Clip Cards to help your child practice identifying digraph sounds in words.

Digraph Clip Cards - Free Printables for Kids

3. DIGRAPH ANCHOR CHARTS: 

Digraph Anchor Charts are great for reviewing what was learned!

You can either use a binder ring to hold the charts together or stick them up in your child’s room for a quick reference. 

phonics digraphs anchor charts

4. DIGRAPH PICTURE SORTING: 

Sorting picture cards according to their sounds is a wonderful game as it requires your child to identify and sort cards by paying close attention to the sounds in the word. 

Check out our Digraph picture sorting cards for fun hands-on learning! 

Digraphs - Picture Sorting

5. I SPY SHEETS:

I spy sheets are really interesting as they require your child to scan through the pictures and color the ones that are relevant.

Check out our I Spy Digraph Sheets to supplement your child’s understanding of digraphs and also practice differentiating between digraphs and blends. 

I Spy digraph worksheets

6. DIGRAPHS SNAKES & LADDERS:

Snakes and ladders is a fun game that you can play with your child on a Saturday afternoon!

Download our FREE Digraph Snakes and Ladder Mat and have a great time helping your child practice recognizing digraphs!  

Digraph Snakes and Ladders - Free Printable for kids

By the way, if you are a parent who is looking for worksheets and other learning resources to teach digraphs and their alternative spellings,  check out our Phonics Digraph Sounds & Alternatives Digital Bundle for Kids. 

This bundle includes: 

  • Mnemonic flashcards to help kids learn and recall digraph sounds and their spellings easily.
  • Practice words, sentences, and stories for each digraph sound for kids to practice reading. 
  • 50+ worksheets for hands-on learning that include more than 20 different activities such as cutting, gluing, sorting, coloring, tracing, crossword puzzles, mazes, and more to learn and practice:
    • Long Vowel Sounds and their spellings
    • Consonant Digraphs and their spellings
    • R-Controlled Sounds and their spellings
    • Vowel Digraphs and their spellings 
  • BONUS: 15 I Spy Digraph pages.

digraph sounds bundle

Overcoming Challenges While Teaching Digraph Sounds to Kids:

When you first introduce digraphs to your child, you are most likely to face the below challenges:

When you come across these challenges, here are some things that you can do to overcome them. 

Challenge #1: Child does not look at digraphs as a whole 

If your child does not look at digraphs as a whole, it is completely normal! 

Remember that up until this point, your child had been sounding out each letter in the word and so it is normal for your child to continue to do the same— sound out each individual letter in the digraph like /s/ /h/ /i/ /p/ instead of /sh/ /i/ /p/.

If your child does this, don’t fret! 

Remember, like all new things, looking at TWO letters as ONE takes time and practice. 

So here is something that you can do! 

Use your fingers to close the rest of the letters in the word and encourage your child to look at the digraphs as a whole.

Trust me, the more opportunity you give your child to notice digraphs in words, the sooner your child will learn to identify digraphs! 

How to teach digraph sounds

Challenge #2: A digraph sound represented by many spellings (less frequent spellings)

When you introduce digraph sounds to your child, you will for sure come across a sound that is represented by a less frequent spelling.

This might be confusing to you and your child.

Let me give you an example of what a less frequent spelling is, so you can understand the situation better! 

For instance, 

In English, the Long A sound can be represented by 9 different spellings— 

  • ‘ai’ as in ‘sail
  • ‘ay’ as in hay
  • ‘a_e’ as in ape
  • ‘a’ as in acorn
  • ‘ea’ as in break
  • ‘ey’ as in  key
  • ‘eigh’ as in eight
  • ‘ei’ as in vein
  • ‘ae’ as in aerial

Teaching all the 9 spellings for the Long A sound is impractical and can only lead to confusion and frustration. 

In phonics teaching, children are taught only the three most frequently appearing spellings for the Long A sound—‘ai’, ‘ay’, and ‘a_e’.

This is because the 3 frequent spellings alone can help a child decode most of the words with the Long A sound.

So once a child masters the 3 frequent spellings and can identify them in words, the child can then learn words that are made up of less frequent spellings as sight words. 

I hope you found the tips and resources shared in this post useful.

If you did, don’t forget to share this blog post with your friends, and don’t forget to leave me a comment below!

Would love to hear from you!

Final Notes:

If you are supporting your child to read at home, then you might want to read my blog post Teach Your Child to Read Using Phonics: The Ultimate 7-Step Guide for step-by-step instructions and all the necessary resources that you might need to help your child read and spell easily!

If you are looking for a kid’s reading program, I welcome you to join our LURN Phonics Kid’s Reading Program which is a step-by-step parent-led program that is designed to help your child read and spell fluently and efficiently!

To take up this program, you do not need any prior phonics knowledge or teaching experience!

Everything is so simplified for you that all you need is a playful attitude and the enthusiasm to set aside 10-15 minutes a day to teach your child to read!

The best part is, our reading program is multisensorial and fun-based so no more tears while learning to read but lots of fun and play!

So go ahead and check out our LURN Phonics Kid’s Reading Program and I cannot wait to help you help your little one become an amazing reader and speller 🙂

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3 Simple Ways to Teach Counting for Kids + Free Printables https://lurnsmart.com/teach-counting-for-kids/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=teach-counting-for-kids https://lurnsmart.com/teach-counting-for-kids/#respond Mon, 03 May 2021 05:56:45 +0000 https://lurnsmart.com/?p=11530         Teaching counting for kids can be fun and easy because you hardly need anything to teach this important math skill. Research shows that kids who learn to count early, develop a fondness for numbers. Moreover, their …

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Teaching counting for kids can be fun and easy because you hardly need anything to teach this important math skill.   

Research shows that kids who learn to count early, develop a fondness for numbers.

Moreover, their understanding of numbers as quantities serves as a foundation on which all other complex math skills such as addition and subtraction can be built easily. 

In this post, I’m going to share with you 3 simple ways to teach counting for kids as well as some FREE counting  printables for you to use: 

  1. Everyday Conversations and Interactions
  2. Number Rhymes
  3. Counting Books
  4. BONUS: Hands-on Counting Activities + FREE Printables

>>SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COUNTING ACTIVITY PRINTABLES<<<

1. Everyday Conversations and Interactions

Everyday Conversations and Interactions

Research shows that children learn best through enjoyable interactions with their primary caregivers.

So including numbers and counting in your daily conversations make it fun and natural for your child to learn to count.

So what can you do?

Simple! 

Just point to anything and everything in your child’s environment and count them and encourage your child to do the same.

And while counting, make sure your child points to or touches the objects as this will help your child understand that counting is nothing but ‘quantifying’—a very important knowledge to have!

Here are some examples:

“How many toes does my baby have? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 – 10 toes.” 

 “Let’s see how many crackers you have on your plate 1 2 3 – 3 crackers.”

“That is a cool car! Let’s count how many wheels the car has! 1 2 3 4 – 4 wheels.”

Apart from pointing and touching, you can also model holding up the correct number of fingers to represent the quantity. 

“How old are you? You are 1, 2  – 2 years old.”

Don’t just limit yourself to the things at home instead count the number of steps as you climb up and down the stairs, count the number of cars in the parking lot, count the number of birds in the power line. 

The idea is to simply count, count, and count! 

Having said that, don’t overdo it to a point where you literally wear out your child’s interest. Just remember to keep these interactions fun and carefree.  

2. Number Rhymes

Number Rhymes

Another classic way to introduce counting to kids is to sing number rhymes.

Instead of just singing, if you can include toys or other manipulatives, it can make things fun and interesting for your child.

When our son was little, he had 5 rubber bath duckies and his favorite thing to do was to line them up and sing the 5 little ducks song.  

Here is a list of popular number rhymes to introduce counting for kids:

3. Counting Books

Counting Books

Counting books are a great way to teach counting while developing literacy skills.

The combination of pictures, stories, and numbers will certainly allure your little one to come back to these books over and over again. 

Here is a list of 20 Must-Read Counting books that every child should read. 

Books on Counting to 20:

Books on Counting Backward:

Books on Counting Big Numbers:

You can check out my post on 20 Must-Read Counting Books for Kids to learn more about each of these books.

BONUS: Hands-on Counting Activities 

Hands-on activities make learning interesting! 

Here are some FREE Counting printables for you to teach counting and one-to-one correspondence in a more fun hands-on way. 

counting for kids clip cards free printablefingerprint counting for kids

free math printablefree counting mat for kids

Free math printable for kids

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you found this blog post 3 Simple Ways to Teach Counting for Kids + Free Printables and the resources shared in this post helpful.

If you did, let us know in the comments below.

Would love to hear from you!

For more FREE Printables for kids, check out our Freebie’s Page!

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20 Must-Read Counting Books for Kids https://lurnsmart.com/counting-books-for-kids/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=counting-books-for-kids https://lurnsmart.com/counting-books-for-kids/#respond Thu, 29 Apr 2021 07:22:29 +0000 https://lurnsmart.com/?p=11564 Are you looking for counting books for kids? In this post, I’m going to share with you 20 must-read counting books for kids that you and your child will simply enjoy!    These books are interactive, engaging and are great …

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Are you looking for counting books for kids?

In this post, I’m going to share with you 20 must-read counting books for kids that you and your child will simply enjoy!   

These books are interactive, engaging and are great to teach numbers while developing literacy skills in toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners.

I hope you find the list useful!

By the way, if you’re in a hurry, just click on the link that is more relevant to you to get to a particular section of the blog post:

COUNTING TO 20 BOOKS FOR KIDS:

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Counting Books for Kids - The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is an all-time children’s classic!

Apart from days of the week, it introduces basic counting in the most interactive way! Especially, the cut holes in the pages will make counting along, fun and easy for your kid. 

2. My First Book of Numbers by Eric Carle

My First Book of Numbers by Eric Carle

My First Book of Numbers is a simple yet engaging counting board book!

Although one might think that it is for toddlers, it’s a better fit for preschoolers. Apart from counting, your kid will enjoy matching the numerals in the top part of the book with the objects in the bottom. 

3. How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague

How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague

How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten is a brilliant little book that is such a delight to read!

What I like about this book is how it invites little readers to count 1-10 with the dinosaurs over and over and over again! 

4. Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews

Counting Books for Kids - Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews

Ten Black Dots is a unique book on counting that stimulates children’s imagination!

With simple rhyming words, everyday objects, and bright illustrations this little book will teach your kid to count from 1-10.

5. Click, Clack, Splish, Splash: A Counting Adventure by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

Counting Books for Kids - Click, Clack, Splish, Splash by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

Our son was a huge fan of Doreen Cronin’s book series as a toddler and Click, Clack, Splish, Splash was no exception!

I remember reading this book more than 30 times and it has never gotten stale. Especially the rhyming words used in this book make it super fun to read!

6. Roar by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Counting Books for Kids - Roar

Roar is an adorable little book that invites little ones to join the noisy little lion cub as he goes off to find some fun! 

The rhyming words and beautiful illustrations will make this little book such a delight for your little reader to count and roar!

7. 20 Big Trucks in the Middle of the Street by Mark Lee

Counting Books for Kids - 20 Big Trucks in the middle of the street

20 Big Truck in the Middle of the Street is a must-read counting book, especially for all those vehicle-lovers! Trust me, the different types and sizes of trucks are just enough to motivate your little one to start counting to 20! 

8. Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani

Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani

Stack the Cats is a delightful little book that introduces counting and grouping in a fun, elegant way!

Through stunning illustrations, the author makes advanced math concepts simple for kids.

“One…. Two… three…. Stack!!!!!” 

9. Fish Eyes by Lois Ehlert

Fish Eyes by Lois Ehlert

Fish Eyes is a great book that introduces children to counting and simple addition!

I’m sure, your kid will certainly enjoy putting his or her fingers into the cut-out hole for each fish eye!

10. Quack and Count by Keith Baker

Counting Books for Kids - Quack and Count

Quack and Count is a simple counting book that invites little ones to join the 7 adorable ducklings as they get ready to learn to fly for the very first time.

The rhyming text and lovely illustrations will certainly make learning counting and simple addition fun and interesting for your kid!  

COUNTING BACKWARD BOOKS FOR KIDS:

11. On the Launch Pad by Michael Dhal

On the Launch Pad by Michael Dhal

On the Launch Pad is a nice little counting book to add to your book collection!

Although there is nothing fancy about this book, your kid will find it interesting to count down from 10 to 1 until the rocket blasts off!

12. Ten Terrible Dinosaurs by Paul Stickland

Ten Terrible Dinosaurs by Paul Stickland

Ten Terrible Dinosaurs is a must-read counting book, especially for dinosaur lovers!

The rhyming text and the illustrations will certainly encourage your kid to join in and count down as each dinosaur leaves the scene. 

13. Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

Ten red apples by Pat Hutchins

Ten Red Apples is an amazing little book that introduces the concept of counting backward in an interesting way! I’m certain that your kiddo will find it exciting to count the apples before they are eaten by the other animals on the farm. 

14. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin

Counting Books for Kids - Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

Pete the Cat books are our son’s favorite!

Although there is much to this book-Pete the Cat and His Groovy Buttons than just counting, I bet your kid will certainly enjoy counting down with Pete! 

COUNTING BIG NUMBERS BOOKS FOR KIDS:

15. Let’s Count to 100! by Masayuki Sebe

Let us count 100! by Masayuki Sebe

Let’s Count to 100 is an interesting book filled with assorted objects for little readers to count from 1-100. There is no doubt that your little one will find the hidden details in the pages such a delight to discover!

16. Best Counting Book Ever by Richard Scarry

Best Counting book ever by Richard Scarry

Numbers are everywhere! It is a real treat to join Willy Bunny in the Best Counting Book Ever as he counts objects to 20 and then to 100! 

17. 1-2-3 Peas by Keith Baker

Counting Books for Kids - 1-2-3 Peas by Keith Baker

Count along with the peas—1, 2, 3!

The bright and bold numbers and fun action prompts in 1-2-3 Peas will most certainly encourage your little reader to join in and count with the little peas!

SKIP COUNTING BOOKS FOR KIDS:

18. One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab by April Pulley Sayre and Jeff Sayre

One is a snail, ten is a crab by April Pulley Sayre and Jeff Sayre

One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab is a little counting (by feet) book!

This lovely little book will most surely give your little math explorer lots of opportunities to practice counting, skip counting, and simple addition! 

19. Toasty Toes by Michael Dahl

Toasty Toes by Michael Dahl

Toasty Toes is a fun book that helps little ones to skip count by 10s!

I bet your kiddo will find it interesting to count the toes of happy beachgoers as they enjoy their day at the ocean! 

20. Eggs and Legs by Michael Dahl

Counting Books for Kids - Eggs and Legs by Michael Dahl

Eggs and Legs is an amusing little book that introduces the concept of counting by 2s! 

I’m 100% certain that the illustrations of eggs with legs will make this counting book such a delight to read for your child! 

I hope you and your little one would enjoy reading the counting books listed in this blog post.

Don’t forget to let us know what’s your favorite children’s counting book in the comments below. Would love to know!

If you are looking for alphabet books for kids then check out my post 20 Must-Read Children’s ABC Books List.

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10 Effective Strategies to Improve Reading Comprehension for Kids https://lurnsmart.com/improve-reading-comprehension-for-kids/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=improve-reading-comprehension-for-kids https://lurnsmart.com/improve-reading-comprehension-for-kids/#respond Mon, 26 Apr 2021 08:03:49 +0000 https://lurnsmart.com/?p=13389         Are you looking for ways to improve reading comprehension for your child? Here are 10 effective strategies to help you build the skills needed for reading comprehension! Apart from the strategies, in this post, we will …

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Are you looking for ways to improve reading comprehension for your child? 

Here are 10 effective strategies to help you build the skills needed for reading comprehension!

Apart from the strategies, in this post, we will also discuss why it is essential to build the skills needed for reading comprehension even before a child learns to read.

So let’s get rolling! 

What is Reading Comprehension?

When kids first learn to read, they learn about letter names, letter sounds, and their relationships. They then, move on to sounding out letters in words and blending them to decode words. But it doesn’t stop here, as kids eventually have to:

  • Master the art of extracting meaning from text.
  • Get skilled in understanding and interpreting the text efficiently.
  • Learn how to make connections between what is read and what they already know. 

This ability to extract meaning, understand and interpret the text efficiently and make connections between what is read and real-life is called reading comprehension.

And as we all know, reading comprehension is ‘the ultimate goal of learning to read!’

Improve reading comprehension - definition

Importance of Building Skills Needed for Reading Comprehension Before Your Child Learns to Read:

Although it is logical to think that reading comprehension comes only after kids learn to read, to have the motivation to learn to read, kids, should first develop the knowledge needed for reading comprehension.

Here’s why!

Imagine your child can decode this sentence–The cat jumps on the mat’ but has no clue what it means.

Improve reading comprehension

Do you think your child will have the motivation to continue reading? 

No, right?

On the contrary, imagine how rewarding the experience would be if your child can extract the meaning from the sentence and visualize a cat jumping on a mat!

Don’t you think your child would want to continue reading just to figure out what the silly cat does next? 

Most certainly, yes! 

So having a good understanding of basic words in the spoken language (English) even before children can start reading is foundational.

Because it is what will give them the motivation and confidence needed to continue to decode words instead of feeling lost and frustrated. 

10 Effective Strategies to Improve Reading Comprehension for Kids:

As I promised at the beginning of this blog post, here are 10 strategies to help you build the skills needed for reading comprehension before your child learns to read as well as continue to build the skills needed to improve reading comprehension throughout your child’s reading journey. 

These strategies apart from significantly improving your child’s ability to interpret the text will also help make your child’s reading experience fun and enjoyable!

  1. Have engaging conversations
  2. Engage your child in a dialogue
  3. Re-read familiar books
  4. Do book-related activities
  5. Build vocabulary
  6. Build reading fluency
  7. Use picture comprehension
  8. Build background knowledge
  9. Summarize
  10. Create mind movies

1. HAVE ENGAGING CONVERSATIONS:

HAVE ENGAGING CONVERSATIONS
Studies show that engaging parent-child conversation apart from enhancing language development can build comprehension skills.

So starting early, get into the habit of talking about anything and everything in your child’s environment

Here are a couple of things that you can do: 

  • Point to things in your child’s environment and name them. 
  • Talk about your child’s day.
  • Describe what you do together.
  • Talk about your day at work.
  • Most importantly, describe your feelings and emotions as this will help your child understand the inner world–how a person feels when a particular event happens.

By the way, if English is not the primary language you speak at home, do not hesitate to use English words along with your native language to describe your child’s environment.

Because research shows that far from confusing the child, using a second language at home can boost the child’s language development and cognitive skills.

If you want to learn how using a second language can benefit your child, check out this post Second Language Boosts Cognitive Skills in Babies.

2. ENGAGE YOUR CHILD IN A DIALOGUE:

ENGAGE YOUR CHILD IN A DIALOGUE

Reading aloud to kids come with its own benefits but when you engage kids in a conversation about what is being read, you triple the benefits. 

Here are some things that you can do while reading to improve reading comprehension:

a. Make connections between what is being read and real life.
b.
Add more information to what you read.
c. Ask who, what, why, when, which, where, how type of questions.
d. Encourage your child to make guesses and predictions.
e. Let your child come up with a creative ending.
f. Ask your child’s opinion about the story.

For more information on how to read, so you can improve reading comprehension as well as other literacy and cognitive skills, check out my blog post The Dialogic Reading: An Effective Way to Read Aloud to Kids. 

3. RE-READ:

 “I want to read Gruffalo, today!”

“Again…..? but we read that book only last night can we read a different book now?”

If this conversation sounds familiar, you are not alone!

I have had those conversations numerous times and I’m sure there are many parents around the world who have had them as well. 

It can indeed be rewarding and exciting to see our children enjoy the story.  But tell me honestly, don’t we sometimes feel frustrated to read the same book over and over again? 

But as boring and frustrating as it might seem, it is important to remind ourselves during those times that children learn through repetition.

A study conducted by the Center for Early Literacy Learning suggests that reading a book at least four times over the course of a few days helps children understand the story better and on a deeper level. 

So to sum up!

The next time your child asks you to read a book over and over again, simply don’t hesitate to read the book!

Just get creative and playful so you can make the reading experience new and interesting! 

4. DO BOOK-RELATED ACTIVITIES:

DO BOOK RELATED ACTIVITIES

An interesting idea to increase understanding and make reading more relatable is to do fun hands-on crafts or activities related to the books you read. 

For example, 

If you read The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, you can do a caterpillar-themed craft or activity. Here are some suggestions:

  • Do a caterpillar craft using construction papers.
  • Let your child draw pictures of things that the hungry caterpillar eats on the paper caterpillar. 
  • Learn the days of the week song and sing the song as your child punches holes for each day of the week on the paper caterpillar. 

For more ideas on fun activities based on children’s books, check out Book Activities by Growing Book by Book. 

5. BUILD VOCABULARY:

BUILD VOCABULARY

A rich vocabulary can make the reading journey interesting and exciting and it is the key to improve reading comprehension. 

So don’t forget to praise your child when he or she learns a new word and make a big fuss when your child uses it in a sentence correctly. 

If your child is older, maintaining a ‘Book of Words’ can make learning new words interesting!

So in your child’s personalized ‘My Book of Words’, encourage your child to write down unfamiliar words as he or she reads a book.

You can then help your child to:

  • Learn how to use a dictionary to look up the meaning. 
  • Construct sentences using the word. 
  • Use the word in everyday conversation

For more ideas on how to enhance your child’s vocabulary, check out my blog post 12 Killer Ways to Build English Vocabulary for Kids.

6. BUILD READING FLUENCY:

When kids read quickly and fluently, they no longer have to worry about decoding words, they can instead focus on comprehending the text. 

If you feel that your child takes a lot of time to decode words, an easy way to get your child to read quickly and smoothly is to reread familiar books that are simple and interesting.

Because the more your child practices decoding words quickly, the more fluent your child will get. And this can lead to better reading comprehension! 

By the way, if you are supporting your child to read at home, here is something that you can do!

Read my blog post Teach Your Child to Read Using Phonics: The Ultimate 7-Step Guide for step-by-step instructions and all the necessary resources that you might need to help your child read and spell easily!

If you are looking for a kid’s reading program, I welcome you to join our LURN Phonics Kid’s Reading Program which is a step-by-step parent-led program that is designed to help your child read and spell fluently and efficiently!

To take up this program, you do not need any prior phonics knowledge or teaching experience!

Everything is so simplified for you that all you need is a playful attitude and the enthusiasm to set aside 10-15 minutes a day to teach your child to read!

The best part is, our reading program is multisensorial and fun-based so no more tears while learning to read but lots of fun and play!

7. USE PICTURE COMPREHENSION:

Even if kids can successfully decode words to read, if they have difficulty understanding the text, it can lead to a lot of disappointment and frustration. 

Having said that, just imagine the plight of kids who are struggling readers!

For these kids, decoding words itself is a challenge, let alone trying to make sense of what they have struggled to decode.

No wonder many struggling readers find the whole ‘learning to read’ experience overwhelming and annoying! 

So for these kids picture comprehension can be the answer!

So instead of worrying about decoding the text, these kids can instead focus on developing the skills needed to extract meaning simply by looking at the picture

Below are some things that you can do to build comprehension if your child is a struggling reader:

  • Ask simple who, what, where, when, why, and how types of questions to encourage your child to decipher the meaning of the picture. 
  • You can encourage your child to construct simple sentences that best describe the picture.
  • You can ask your child to tell a story using the picture.

Apart from these simple things, you can also use picture books! 

Check out the Top 100 Children’s picture books of all-time by Scottsdale Public Library for popular picture books that you can read to your child. 

8. BUILD BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE:

BUILD BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge and reading comprehension are interconnected!

Here’s why! 

When kids read on a topic that they are familiar with, chances are, they can understand and remember the text better.

This is because the background knowledge they have on the topic acts as a scaffolding on which more knowledge can be built.

Check out this post Building Background Knowledge by Reading Rockets to learn how you can enhance your child’s prior knowledge about a particular topic. 

If your child is older, you can encourage your child to maintain ‘My Book of Questions!’ which is nothing but a personalized book in which your child can write down questions that he or she might have while reading. 

You can then help your child find answers to those questions as well as research on that topic to gather more information.

9. SUMMARIZE:

Improve reading comprehension strategy

Summarizing the main points not only ensures understanding but also improves reading comprehension.

So get into the habit of recapping the text regularly as it would help your child to: 

  • Determine what is important and what is not.
  • Ignore irrelevant information and instead focus only on keywords and phrases
  • Learn how to reduce a large text for concise understanding
  • Understand text in a more meaningful way
  • Remember and relate to the text better

Here are a couple of tips to help your child learn to summarize effectively:

  • All stories have a beginning, middle, and end.
  • Ask who, what, where, when, why, and how types of questions to understand the text better.
  • Tell only the most important part.
  • Tell in your own words

So the next time you read a book to your child, remember to sum up the main points and encourage your child to do the same in his or her own words. 

10. CREATE MIND MOVIES:

CREATE MIND MOVIES

Research indicates that when kids can picture it, they can understand it.’

So the next time you read a book to your child encourage your child to visualize the characters and events.

Be dramatic and act out if needed. Change your tone of voice to suit the character. And don’t forget to encourage your child to do the same. 

When our son was little, he would fantasize about being one of the characters in the book and we would simply play along. We noticed that this simple imaginative play helped him understand the text better. We still do this sometimes. So you too can try this with your child!

In conclusion, creating mental images and visualizing oneself as the character, apart from being fun, can help your child develop the skills needed to extract information at a deeper level.

I hope you found this post 10 Effective Strategies to Improve Reading Comprehension for Kids useful!

If you did, don’t forget to share this post with your friends.

And if you are doing something to improve your child’s reading comprehension, please let us know in the comments below.

Would love to know about it!   

By the way, if you are looking for more tips on how to build other important literacy skills then check out my blog post 6 Important Pre Reading Skills to Prepare Your Child for Reading Success.

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12 Killer Ways to Build English Vocabulary for Kids https://lurnsmart.com/build-vocabulary-for-kids/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=build-vocabulary-for-kids https://lurnsmart.com/build-vocabulary-for-kids/#respond Thu, 22 Apr 2021 06:32:14 +0000 https://lurnsmart.com/?p=13526         Do you know that helping kids build their English vocabulary can make their ‘learning to read‘ experience easy and interesting? For instance, when a child sounds out a word and the word is familiar, it gives …

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Do you know that helping kids build their English vocabulary can make their ‘learning to read experience easy and interesting?    

For instance, when a child sounds out a word and the word is familiar, it gives the child the confidence to continue reading.

On the contrary, if most of the words that the child decodes are unfamiliar, the child might begin to second guess his or her ability to read and his might lead to frustration.

Hence, having a good understanding of basic words in English is essential to make a child’s reading journey easy and exciting!

Moreover, research shows that a well-rounded vocabulary apart from helping a child learn to read, can: 

  • Improve reading comprehension.
  • Enhance knowledge.
  • Build confidence.
  • Increase social and emotional intelligence.
  • Provide success in school and life. 

So in this post, I’m going to share with you 12 killer ways to build English vocabulary for kids.

So read on!

12 Killer Ways to Build English Vocabulary for Kids

1. HAVE ENGAGING CONVERSATIONS:

HAVE ENGAGING CONVERSATIONS

Speaking to children is powerful and it is the secret to adding new words to their vocabulary!

A research paper entitled “Early Vocabulary Growth” published by the University of Minnesota, states that mothers who speak frequently to their infants have their children learn almost 300 more words by age 2 than the children whose mothers rarely spoke to them. 

Therefore, talk about anything and everything in your child’s environment!

Talk about your child’s day and what you are doing together. Describe what you see when you are out for a walk.

Talk about your day at work and don’t forget to describe the feelings that you felt
and the emotions that you experienced as they will help your child put his or her
feelings and emotions in words later on.  

To sum up, the more you talk, the more words your child will learn!

2. USE REAL WORDS:

Vocabulary for kids - USE REAL WORDS

“Look! There’s a bow-bow (dog)!”

“Here’s your yum-yum (food)!”

Words like ‘bow-bow’ and ‘yum-yum’ might sound cute but it is important to replace this cuteness with real words.

Because children are like sponges, and especially during the first couple of years, they have an amazing ability to learn!

So there is no need to oversimplify the way we talk to them! 

By the way, if you speak a different language at home, I suggest you use English words along with the words in your language. 

If you are someone who thinks that using two languages might confuse your child, you are so wrong!

There is tons of research to prove that children especially during their early years have an incredible ability to learn languages. 

Check out this research article “Bilingualism: Start early and earn all your benefits!” on the Harvard University website to learn how babies are the ‘fastest language learners’ in the world.

This article also talks about the many benefits that can result from exposing little children to multiple languages during the early years. 

3. DARE TO USE BIG WORDS: 

Vocabulary for kids - DARE TO USE BIG WORDS

Oftentimes, as parents, we feel that our children might not understand if we use big words, but it is so not true! 

Research shows that for a child, the effort needed to learn the word ‘cat’ and the word ‘Tyrannosaurus’ is the same. 

Therefore, it doesn’t matter how big the word is, if the word is used often in the child’s environment, it will be certainly added to the child’s vocabulary.

Even if the child does not use those words immediately, you can be certain that the child will eventually use them.

Because the child’s receptive understanding of language develops long before expressive language does. Meaning, the child’s ability to understand words develop long before the child can use those words. 

So dare to use new and big words coz’ very soon they will become a part of your child’s expressive vocabulary!

4. LABEL THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE: 

Vocabulary for kids - LABEL THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE

An easy and effective way to teach new vocabulary to little children, especially if they are English learners, is to label objects around the house. 

Here are some examples! 

‘wall’ ‘door’ ‘clock’ ‘toys’ ‘chair’

You can also take this a step further by adding adjectives to labels.

‘big window’ ‘green box’ ‘brown chair’

Apart from building English vocabulary, labeling things around the house can increase your kid’s print awareness and print motivation, two important pre-reading skills that will prepare your child for reading success.    

5. READ ALOUD OFTEN: 

READ ALOUD OFTEN

Books contain many words that people often don’t use while speaking!

So reading to your child frequently can help your child learn a lot of new words! 

According to the New York Times bestseller “The Read-Aloud Handbook” by Jim Trelease, Books for kids contain 50% more words than regular conversation or TV.” 

Another research study published by the Ohio State University states that, young children whose parents read to them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to. That is a million-word gap between children who are frequently read to and children who aren’t read to. 

So a smart move to expand your kid’s English vocabulary is to read, read and read often! 

If you are not sure where to begin, then check out Scholastic’s Children’s Book List by Age.

6. USE A DICTIONARY: 

USE A DICTIONARY

Every time your child comes across a new word, it is important to explain the meaning in a fun, playful way!

But if you have an older child, it is wise to help your child get into the habit of looking up the meaning for words himself or herself. 

A simple tip is to invest in a good children’s dictionary.

You can also help your child learn how to use an online children’s dictionary. This might be most helpful especially if your child is an English learner.

Because, apart from looking up the meaning, your child can hear and practice how the word is pronounced. 

7. EXPLORE NON-FICTION: 

Vocabulary for kids - EXPLORE NON-FICTION

Stories about monkeys and donkeys are interesting but when it comes to building vocabulary for kids, non-fiction is awesome!

So pick books on topics that your child is already interested in!

Like, car books for car lovers, dinosaur books for dinosaur lovers, and bug books for bug lovers.  

The reason why I insist on non-fiction books is that your child can learn so many new words just from reading one non-fiction book.

I like the National Geography Kids books as they have a wide range of topics for children to learn and explore! 

8. CREATE A WORD WALL: 

Vocabulary for kids - CREATE A WORD WALL

Having a word wall is a great strategy that can help improve vocabulary for kids!  

So pick a few words that you want your child to learn and write them down on chits of paper or sticky notes and stick them to your child’s learning wall.

A general rule of thumb would be to do 5 new words a week. You can also use a bulletin board for this activity. 

Apart from expanding your kid’s English vocabulary, you can use the word wall to help your kid learn:

  • Word spellings. 
  • Synonyms.
  • Antonyms.
  • Syllable Patterns. 
  • Homonyms, homographs, and homophones. 
  • and more!

9. WORD CARDS: 

WORD CARDS

An interesting way to increase vocabulary for kids is to create word cards! 

Pick 10-15 words per bunch and print them on cardstock and use a binder ring to hold the cards in place. You can also include the meaning and picture to make it more interesting.

Just go over the words once a day or once every two days and talk about the words and their meanings. 

Most importantly, when you do this, don’t forget to praise your child when he or she learns a new word!

Make a big fuss if your child can use the word in a sentence correctly.

Because when you make learning words enjoyable and fun, your child will be motivated to learn more of it. 

10. CONSTRUCT SILLY SENTENCES:

CONSTRUCT SENTENCES

There is no point in learning new words if your child does not know how to use them in a sentence.

So the next time, your child comes across a new word, encourage your child to put it in a sentence.

Of course, offer help when needed!

But instead of turning this into a serious activity, construct silly sentences together to keep things light and interesting!

Here are some examples!

The grumpy crocodile ate a crab.

His blue dog has a crayon that is enormous!

Your fingers look microscopic!

11. PLAY WORD GAMES: 

PLAY WORD GAMES

Word games make learning new words fun and interesting! 

Here are our favorite word games:

  • Zingo! Word Builder
  • Scrabble
  • Bananagrams

We got these word games when our son was 3 and they have grown with him.

What I like about these games is that you can play these games as a family. So make sure you give it a try!

12. ENCOURAGE STORYTELLING: 

ENCOURAGE STORYTELLING

Storytelling enhances language skills and helps build vocabulary for kids.

Therefore, encourage your child to make up his or her own story!

Here are some things that you can do:

  • Be curious and ask questions so you can introduce new words with similar meanings.
  • Give simple definitions and make them relatable by providing an example from real life.
  • You can also encourage your child to come up with his or her own example for new words. 

Here’s an example!

Child: It is a big dog. 

Parent: Yes! It must be humongous, just like the dog that we saw at the park the other
day. What else do you think looks humongous? 

Final Notes:

Learning new words has many benefits so remember to:

  • Make a big deal out of it. 
  • Praise extensively when your child learns a new word. 
  • Get into the habit of discussing a new word that you learned as a family while having dinner. 
  • Keep new words that your child learns active. Use them in your conversation.
  • Create silly sentences together. Make it look like a fun game. 

I hope you found the 12 Killer Ways to Build English Vocabulary for Kids useful.

If you did, share this post with your friends because sharing is caring 😉 

If you are supporting your child to read at home, then you might want to read my blog post Teach Your Child to Read Using Phonics: The Ultimate 7-Step Guide for step-by-step instructions and all the necessary resources that you might need to help your child read and spell easily and efficiently.

Resources: 

Owens, Jr., Robert E. (1996). Language development: An introduction (fourth edition). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. 

Stahl, Stephen A. (1999). Vocabulary development. Brookline, MA: Brookline Books.

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3 Powerful Tips to Promote Print Awareness + Print Awareness Checklist https://lurnsmart.com/promote-print-awareness-in-kids/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=promote-print-awareness-in-kids https://lurnsmart.com/promote-print-awareness-in-kids/#respond Mon, 19 Apr 2021 14:16:36 +0000 https://lurnsmart.com/?p=13375         Print awareness is a very important pre-reading skill that your child needs to develop to become a successful reader! As fancy as this term might sound, print awareness is nothing but your child’s earliest understanding of …

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Print awareness is a very important pre-reading skill that your child needs to develop to become a successful reader!

As fancy as this term might sound, print awareness is nothing but your child’s earliest understanding of the written language.   

In other words, it is: 

  • Knowing how to hold a book right. 
  • Learning that a book is read from left to right and front to back. 
  • Understanding that letters can form words and words have meaning and words can be put together to convey a thought.

These print awareness concepts might seem simple but children are not born knowing them, so it is something that they have to eventually learn.

The good news is, most children develop print awareness easily and effortlessly when they are surrounded by print. 

In this blog post, I’m going to share with you 3 Powerful Tips to Promote Print Awareness in Children 

  1. Read Often and Together
  2. Notice Environmental Print
  3. Label Things around the House 

Note: At the end of this post, you have a Print Awareness Checklist that includes 20 questions that you can ask while reading to help your child learn various print awareness concepts. 

3 Powerful Tips to Promote Print Awareness

1. READ OFTEN AND TOGETHER: 

Reading often to your child is one of the easiest ways to increase print awareness. However, instead of reading a book straight through, here are two things that you can do to develop print awareness. 

a. Invite your child to participate
b. Use your finger to trace the text

a. Invite your child to participate: 

Invite your child to participate

If your child is 3 and under, invite your child to do the following while you read: 
  • Hold the book.
  • Turn the pages.
  • Point to pictures and words. 
If your child is 3 and up, here are some things that you can talk about: 
  • Title, author, illustrator of the book. 
  • Uppercase/lowercase letters.
  • Difference between letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs. 
  • Punctuations and the reason they are used for. 

Trust me, these simple activities and conversations would help your child learn important print awareness concepts in a more authentic and organic way!

b. Use your finger to trace the text:

Use your finger to trace the text

The next important thing to remember while reading is to use your finger to trace the text. This will give your child lots of opportunities to see the word that you read. 

Research shows that most children spent about 95% of the time looking at the pictures in the book while their parents read to them rather than looking at the words.

This is normal but if your child looks only at pictures while you read, then you cannot expect your child to learn about print. 

Therefore, to minimize this situation, talk about pictures before you start reading.

This way, your child will not sit there looking only at pictures instead follow your finger as you trace the text.

By the way, if you are a parent who finds it challenging to get your child to sit down while you read, then check out my post 12 Genius Ways to Create a Love for Reading Books in Kids to learn how you can get your child to enjoy reading. 

2. NOTICE PRINT IN THE ENVIRONMENT:

Print is all around us! 

So the easiest way to develop your child’s print awareness is to encourage your child to notice print in the environment. 

Here’s how you can do it!

The next time you go out, just point to letters and words on signboards, labels, and shopping lists and talk about them.

If your child is 3 and up, you can play the below games to draw your child’s attention to the print in the environment. 

a. I Spy: 

Print awareness - I Spy

I Spy is an age-old game that is simple and fun! 

When our son was little we used to play I Spy and it helped increase his print awareness and phonemic awareness.

To play this game, just pick a letter or a familiar word in the environment and say “I spy with my little eye….(that letter or that word).” 

For example, 

If you pick M, your child should look around and notice M in McDonald’s or if your child is familiar with the word McDonald’s, your child should be able to recognize the word and point to it. 

You can also challenge your child further by picking a sound instead of a letter.

If you say, “I spy a word that begins with the sound /m/. Your child should look for a word that begins with the sound /m/ – McDonald’s. 

b. License Plate Game: 

Print awareness - License Plate Game

When you are on a long trip with your child, one of the frequent questions that he or she might ask is, “How long before we reach?”

The license plate game is a fun game that you can play to keep boredom at bay! 

Trust me, if your child is a car lover, he or she will thoroughly ENJOY this!

So to play this game, simply look for letters on the license plates. The first one to spot it gets a point. 

For example, 

If you say “Find S”. Your child should look for the letter S on the license plate. 

You can also challenge your child further by asking your child to tell you the color of the car that has the letter S on its license plate. 

By the way, the license plate game is also a great opportunity for you to help your child learn the various makes and models of cars. 

c. Label Puzzles: 

Print awareness - Label Puzzles

Another fun way to increase awareness of print is to turn your food boxes into puzzles! 

So the next time you come home after your monthly shopping, remember to save those food boxes.

Depending on your child’s skill level, cut the boxes into the desired number of pieces and let your child piece them together. 

What a great way to increase print awareness while building logical and critical thinking! 

3. LABEL THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE: 

Print awareness - LABEL THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE

Labeling things around the house is another interesting way to enhance your child’s print awareness! 

Little children are curious and are like sponges.

When you make their environment rich with print, those little brains soak it all up! 

So grab a paper, pen, and tape and label the things around your house–clock, door, wall, toy room, kitchen, sofa, and so on. 

You can also print your labels. It is completely up to you! 

Apart from giving you lots of opportunities to talk about the things around the house, labels can help your little one learn that things have names and their names can be represented by print–a very important knowledge to have! 

Just try it, and you will thank me for this tip!

PRINT AWARENESS CHECKLIST:

As promised earlier in this post, here are 20 questions that you can ask while reading to teach and assess your child’s print awareness:

  1. Which way do I go when I read words?
  2. Can you turn to page (number)?
  3. (Open a page with text) Where do I start reading?
  4. (Open a page with text) Where/What is the first word on this page?
  5. What is the first letter of this word?
  6. Can you find an uppercase letter on this page?
  7. Can you find a lowercase letter on this page?
  8. Show me the last word in this book?
  9. When I get to the end of this line, where do I read next?
  10. Can you find the front of the book?
  11. Can you find the back of the book?
  12. Where/What is the title of the book?
  13. Who is the author of the book?
  14. Who is the illustrator of the book?
  15. Find a period on this page. What is it for?
  16. Find a question mark on this page. What is it for?
  17. Find an exclamation mark on this page. What is it for? 
  18. Find a comma on this page. What is it for?
  19. Find quotation marks on this page. What is it for?
  20. Find an italicized word on this page.  

I hope you found the tips and games shared in this post useful.

If you did, don’t forget to let us know in the comments below.

Would love to hear from you!

By the way, print awareness is just one of the many pre-reading skills that your little one needs to develop in order to be a successful reader.

If you want to learn more about how to develop the other important pre-reading skills, check out my post 6 Important Pre Reading Skills to Prepare Your Child for Reading Success.

If you are supporting your child to read at home, then you might want to read my blog post Teach Your Child to Read Using Phonics: The Ultimate 7-Step Guide for step-by-step instructions and all the necessary resources that you might need to help your child read and spell easily and efficiently.

The post 3 Powerful Tips to Promote Print Awareness + Print Awareness Checklist appeared first on LurnSmart.

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