How can I help my child grow in language learning before reading instruction?

You can help your child grow in their understanding of the English Language by being together each day! This doesn’t have to be arduous or difficult. It is simply living life together and making small, intentional choices about your time.

 

Putting Learning Language in practice together day by day will reap lifelong rewards for their academic, and even social and emotional, wellness!

 

Daily practice for just a couple minutes of the vital literacy skills needed to practice and master before reading can be so beneficial for every child. Whether you are a homeschool parent or your child attends school, you can work on these skills every day!

 

Here is a quick list of 5-10 minutes of daily practice you can work on together. 

• Read books at least three times a day. Grab a stack of books and read them a couple times each (repetition of the same stories helps solidify language learning concepts!)
• Ear Training with phonemes: “What word am I saying: d-o-g?”
• Tongue Training with phonemes: Point to an object (like a d-o-ll or c-u-p) and ask the child too separate the sounds: “What is this?”
• Onsets & Rimes: b-at, p-ig, splitting words up
• Counting syllables in words through clapping
• Complete sentences practice: having your child repeat what you say about their day
• Increase vocabulary through reading a story or talking about a new experience

This post is Post 10 of 10 in our Learning Language Series. See all of the posts, with Teaching Tools packed into each post, here:

1. What is phonological awareness?
2. Why is rhyming an important language skill? {free nursery rhyme printable}
3. What is phonemic awareness?
4. How can I help my child develop phonemic awareness?
5. How can I teach onsets and rimes?
6. What is the importance of counting syllables in words?
7. How can I help my child create sentences and count words in sentences?
8. How to create a solid vocabulary from infancy?
9. What is phonics and how do we begin reading?
10. How can I help my child grow in language learning before reading?