| |
The Emergent Reader
In
How Young Children Learn - Part 2, we discussed oral
language and auditory discrimination, which is your child's ability to differentiate between
two letter sounds. In
Reading With Your Child,
we discussed reading readiness and the practical skills you can help your child develop as
he makes the transition from oral to written language.
In this section, we encourage you and your emerging reader to apply
the basics. Below is a list of activities you can enjoy with your child as you
escort him into the world of literacy:
-
Initial
sounds: Helping your young child develop an awareness of auditory/sound
discrimination can be as simple as playing with the first letter of your child's
name. For example, Tim. T-im. Table. Television. Tick-tock. Teeth. This
skill takes time, so be patient as your child learns to hear the differences among letter
sounds. *(see below for notes
about hearing loss and language development).
-
We use TIDE: Logo recognition is a pre-reading skill most children accomplish early in life. They
can spot a McDonald's sign half a mile down the road. Use product symbols to show
your child that he is already a reader. Cut out the words on
products he can identify and proudly display them on an "I can read" word wall.
-
It's
in the news: The newspaper is a rich resource for your child's emerging
pre-reading skills. Have him cut out the letters of his name from the
headlines.
-
Language
experience charts: Classroom teachers use this technique to demonstrate
writing to young children. However, preschoolers can also enjoy the process of
recording an experience. Similar to an adult's journal writing, a child dictates an
event he experienced while the adult prints the words. This process allows the child
to learn the value of his spoken words and to see that they can also be saved and shared.
Topics can range from "How I feed my fish," to "Our trip to the
zoo."
-
Let
your child be the author: Have your child dictate a story as you write it
down in print (not cursive). If you are using a computer, use at least size 16 font.
Then have your child illustrate the story and sign the original art work and cover page
byline.
-
To-do
lists: Daily planners have become a lifeline
to many busy parents. But children also enjoy the feeling of order and importance
that a to-do list can bring. For the young child, the list can be a combination of
words and pictures. For example, the number one with a picture of a trash bin
communicates the message "take out the trash."
____________________ *
A note about hearing: Oral
language development can be hindered by hearing loss, as well as by limited experiences,
stress, poor emotional attachments, neurological
compromises, etc. If you suspect that
your young child is not hearing all frequencies clearly, you may want to have his hearing
evaluated.
____________________
** In response to a parent email about language development and hearing loss, here is a suggested summary,
by age, of
the consonant sounds children acquire in speech.
- 18 months to 3 years: p,m,h,n,w,b
- 2 years to 4 years: b,k,g,d,t,ng ( some children do not
acquire the t and ng sounds until age 6)
- 2 1/2 years to 4 years: f,y
- 3 years to 6 years: r,l,s (some children do not acquire
the s sound until age 8)
- 3 1/2 to 7 or 8 years: ch,sh,z
- 4 to 7 or 8 years: j,v
- Source: Speech,
Language, & Hearing Disorders by Oyer, Crowe, and Haas. College-Hill
Press, 1987
|
|