Reading
Reading with your child is one of the best things you can do to improve their reading skills. Whether it is picking out words they know in the newspaper, or reading simple picture books, any reading you do with your child can help. The more your child reads, the better they will get, no matter what encourage them to read, read, read!
Being able to quickly recognize sight words is an important skill in your child's reading development. Sight words are words that cannot be easily "sounded out", instead, they are words they just need to know. Good old-fashioned flash cards with sight words on them can be super helpful in helping your child read. Click here for first grade sight words, and here for second grade sight words you can be working on. I recommend starting with 10-20 and adding a few at a time until your child is able to read all of them! You can make your own flash cards, practice writing them, make them with play-doh, or if you're feeling really adventurous, squirt some shaving cream on the table and have your first grader write them with their finger!
Reading with your child is extremely beneficial to their learning development in all subject areas. Whether they listen to someone else read, read to themselves, read to you, a stuffed animal, or the dog, there are a few simple tips to keep in mind.
1. Get rid of distractions. With all of the neat technology we have today and fun toys kids have to play with, it is easy to be distracted. Set aside 10 minutes a day where you and your child find a quiet spot with no tv, computer, or other distractions and just read! Digital books and IPad apps are good too, as long as you are actually reading!
2. Help, don't just tell. When you are reading with your child, they are bound to come across a few tricky words. Some words are going to be way too difficult and aren't easily figured out, but many words your child comes across can be figured out with the use of reading strategies. We will work on many at school throughout the year that they will become familiar with, but they may need reminding to use them. A few prompts you could use when they come across a tricky word are: "Use your strategies", "Do you see a smaller word you know?", "Look for chunks", and "Does that make sense?".
3. The more, the merrier. We all have our favorites, but young children need to be exposed to a wide variety of genres. Definitely encourage kids to read their favorites, but also help them branch out and find different books they may like. Also, be careful about reading the same book over and over. Fluency is great, but we don't want them to be memorizing the entire book and not actually reading the words.
4. The public library is your friend. With all of the free apps out there, you can find thousands of books for your kiddo to read all without spending a dime and from the comfort of your own home, BUT trust me, the library is your friend. Not only are libraries great for books, many have magazines, movies, family nights, story time, internet access, and so much more! The Cedar Rapids public library has tons to offer for the whole family. Check out their website here and see for yourself!
5. Monkey see, monkey do. If you want your child to read, take some time out of your day to read something you enjoy! You are your child's biggest role model and if they see YOU reading, they'll be hooked. Make a point to take interest in your child's reading show them by example that reading is important
Click here for a list of our first grade sight words!
Click here for a list of second grade sight words!
