Fun Ways to Practice at Home
Activities to reinforce numbers, letters, sounds, and sight words:
Fun ways to help at home
*Read with your child. Have the child find words or pictures that begin with a certain letter or sound.
*Have your child read to you. Ask him or her to point out letters &/or sight words within the text.
* Have your child find letters &/or sight words in TV commercials or on bill boards.
*Use a paintbrush and a bucket of water to have your child “paint” numbers and letters on sidewalks, driveway, shower walls, etc.
*Put sugar in a cake pan or a shallow box. Have your child use his finger to write the letter you name. After writing the letter/number, simply shake the pan gently to “erase,” and name another number/letter. (For sound recognition, say the sound of a letter or say a word that begins with the letter, and have your child write the letter that he hears.) This also works well with pudding and shaving cream.
*Before allowing your child to watch a TV program, ask him or her to identify the number that he/she sees on the cable box, TV screen, or remote. Then have him/her tell you the first letter of the name of the program.
*In the grocery store....in each aisle, ask your child to look at boxes, packages, and cans to find a certain letter. For example, search for Aa in the canned vegetables aisle, for Bb in the paper products aisle, etc. Give extra points for finding both upper and lower case items.
*At home...have your child help sort canned goods according to the first letter on each can. Strengthen counting skills by having him or her count how many of each item, how many begin with the same letter, and how many in all. (Then have your child put the cans away for you! You’ll kill 2 birds with one stone!!)
*Read to your child. After reading, go back through the pages and have your child find specific letters on each page. You can also look for pictures that begin with a specific sound, and for sight words.
*In the car......... Make a contest to see who can find certain letters first. Teach your child to look for letters on storefronts, billboards, license plates, signs, etc.
*In the car.....play the license plate game: Look at other license plates to find all of the letters in the child’s name (in order). The first person to spot them all wins.
*With a deck of cards, use only the numbers 2 through 10. Play “More” the same way “War” is played, except make the child tell the number on his card each turn. The player with the highest number wins each turn.
*Give your child an old newspaper or magazine and a yellow crayon or marker. Have him or her highlight a certain letter on each page. As skills develop, this activity can be used to find sight words or other words your child can read.
* Use flash cards to practice numbers, letters, and sight words.
*Have your child set the table. Ask him/her to count how many forks, spoons, and knives, and write the number for each. Then have him/her write how many in all.
*Write numbers, letters, or sight words on pieces of paper and post them all over the house. Have every family member touch and read (aloud) any letter, number, or word they pass.
*Label household items (teddy bear, microwave, etc.) with sight words, and call those items by that word.
*Put a letter, number, or sight word at the entrance of your home and/or each room. Call them “secret passwords,” and make everyone name them or read them upon entry.
*Roll dice. Have your child count the dots and write the number. Use 2 or 3 dice to work on higher numbers.
*Have your child practice making numbers and letters with play-dough or cooked spaghetti noodles.
***Be creative! Make learning fun! Most importantly, read to your child as often as possible during everyday routines (cereal box at breakfast, newspaper headlines, recipes, etc.).
Have fun!
