Activities to prepare your child for Pre-K.
Knowing the alphabet is a key to successful reading in later years. When you sing the alphabet song, your voice draws your child’s attention to the letters of the alphabet.
Need- You and your child.
Make eye contact with your child and begin singing the alphabet song. Pronounce each letter so your child can hear. You can sing it fast or slow. Also, have your child find letters on newspapers, candy wrappers, cereal boxes, etc..and say their name. Being able to identify letters and their sounds is an important skill for Pre-K.
The Name Game-Knowing the names of things is important to learning about the world. Children learn the names of things mostly from their parents and teachers.
Need- You and your child.
Tell your child, "I'm thinking of an object". Give clues like it is red. It grows on a plant. You can eat them on hamburgers or in a salad. It begins with t. If your child can't guess after 4 or 5 clues, tell them what you were thinking of. (tomato)
I’m Thinking of a Sound-Playing with the sounds of words will help your child listen to sounds and words, and understand the importance of language.
Need- Names of objects.
Say to your child, "I’m thinking of the sound /s/ as in sat. Can you tell me another word that begins with /s/?" Your child names one word. "Can you tell me another word that begins with /s/?
Name writing-Teaching your child to write their name is also important.
We teach them to write it with the first letter capital and the rest of the letters lowercase (small). You can write their name on an index card and have your child lay a piece of white paper over it and trace it.
The following are good websites for your child:
Starfall.com
PBSkids.com
Nickjr.com