Teaching Tools and Training

I know that children (and parents!) need a break from school and homework during the holidays however keeping up reading is still important. I have made up this 'Holiday Home Reading' record sheet to encourage children to read through the holidays. When they reach a certain number of books they could receive a sticker or small treat. You could also use this sheet for younger children (not yet reading) who maybe reluctant to listen to you read. Feel free to print off and use.

This helps with initial sounding out. My daughter wanted to help do the shopping list so I told her what we needed and she drew the items. We then said each word concentrating on the first sound. She wrote the first sound next to each item. If u had an alphabet chart close by u could refer to that if she didn't know what the letter looked like or how to form it. We took it shopping with us and she told me what she needed.

It is a sounds box. Over time you collect items that begin with each sound; they could be objects, pictures and words. One activity could be to choose a few items from different boxes and put them in the middle of the floor. Then ask children to find an object beginning with a particular sound. This is a fun, engaging, visual and hands on activity that helps with learning initial sounds.

Pronunciation of phonemes/ sounds Children can start to recognise the sounds that letters/ letter combinations make before school through talking and listening activities. It doesn't mean children have to recognise the written form yet. This is a link to a website giving the correct pronunciation of the 44 phonemes- worth checking especially if you have a child learning to read and sound out. You might be surprised about some of the sounds that are made by some letter/ letter combinations.

I love this idea especially for boys! You write the sounds or sight words that your child is learning on cups. Every time your child gets a sound/word correct they get to stack the cups to make a tower. Once the tower is built your child can knock it down with a ball.

I have been putting down the words that my daughter had difficulty with in her writing or home reading. Every time she gets one right she puts a star up next to the word. Once she has 3 stars she rubs the word off. She is only allowed to put up one star each day. She loves the challenge and wants to wipe off as many words as she can.

I thought I would share something I have been doing with my daughter which has been very effective in helping her with reading and writing. I have a whiteboard up on the side of a cupboard in the kitchen. I write a question or two on it every day and my daughter has to try and read it, comprehend it and answer it in a sentence. She is loving it.

What am I? Develops reading, comprehension, vocabulary as well as writing skills. You can also use the whiteboard for mathematical problem solving.

Did you know if you child can read the first 100 most common sightwords they can read 50% of most texts? http://www.sightwords.com/sight-words/games