Reading Activities Parents Can Use For Their Children

Using 14 "at" Flashcards To Teach Reading:

This exercise helps your child increase the speed with which she reads the words she has a grip on so far. Write each of the words flat, chat, brat, spat, splat, and drat on a separate index card.

Add these new flashcards to the eight flashcards you made before (bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat and sat) so you have a set of 14. You can use the dialogue in bold text when following these steps with your child:

1. Spread the cards face down on the table.

2. Turn them over one at a time and read them to me.

3. Turn them back over and jumble them up. Can you still read them to me?

4. Walk around the room and see if you can still read them to me.

In step 4 your child can do whatever action you like - jump up and down ten times, knock on the front door, have 20 swings on the swing - remember your options are open to any activity that makes it fun and challenging for your child.

Buying Reading Flashcards For Your Child:

After you've practiced with a few homemade flashcards and your child has the hang of them, move on to commercial flashcards. You can buy whole packs of flashcards in school supply stores and many bookstores.

Most of these flashcards have a word on one side and a corresponding picture on the other, so you read hat and turn the card over to see a picture of a hat. You can use these cards easily and effectively, if you know how.

Start with commercial flashcards by selecting from the pack only words you need, the ones you have already had some practice with. Right now, you'd select from the pack focusing only on the short "a" words. Have your child read a word and then turn over the card to check his reading against the pictures.

Making Flashcards Of Words:

Your child has had a lot of practice with "at" words, so now he needs a set of flashcards. Write each of the at words on a separate index card (bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, and sat) and encourage your child to read his cards to family members and friends.

If your child likes to write, let him write his own cards. Many children prefer an adult to write the cards for them because adults do a neater job, but if your child makes his own cards, he feels even more proud of them.

Use flashcards for practicing skills, but flashcard games and drills should augment, not replace your one on one instruction.

Building "at" Into Words Like "flat":

To help consolidate your child's understanding of sound chunks, ask him to make bigger "at" words by adding more letters to "at", including blends like "fl" and partners like "ch".

You help your child make the six words flat, chat, brat, spat, splat and drat in this exercise. Before beginning, try the strategy of presenting her with a challenge that you know she can accomplish. Tell your child you have a challenge you're not sure she's up to.

Preparation: Have "at" written on one whole index card. Cut three other index cards inhalf. On each of the six halves, write one of these six pairs of letter: fl, ch, br, sp, spl, and dr. In this exercise, your child makes the words flat, chat, brat, spat, splat, and drat. Use the direct dialogue given in bold text as a guide.

1. Put "at" down in front of you.

2. Spread the other cards around "at".

3. Choose a card and slide it over to the front of "at".

4. Say "What word have you made?"

5. Repeat steps 3-4 with the remaining letters.

Children reading resources for parents