Preschool Learning Resources

Phonics Pre

 

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My daughter has just turned 4? Thinking of starting to gently teach her phonics?

Any advice? Is it too early to go through letters with her, we would like to give her an advantage before she goes to school in Sept 2008? Can anyone recommend any learning programmes aimed at pre schoolers? Tips/hints? We are not pushy parents and aim to make any learning very relaxed and only at our daughters pace. Help anyone as we don't really know where to start? Are there any recomended websites?

You are definitely doing the right thing by not wanting to be too pushy. Take cues from your daughter. Most 4 year olds will only want to "work" for a few minutes at a time. But you can get the most out of your time by varying the activities. Try to get as many manipulatives as possible such as magnetic letters, Flash Cards, and phonics books. Scholastic has some really good ones such as a 3 box set of Clifford books that my kids all love! Sit down and just start with the basics- get her to recognize all the letters. At 1st, just do the 26 letters. Once she has mastered that, then you play all sorts of games! Spread out all the magnetic letters on the floor and call out a letter. See who can find it 1st! You can also play variations of the game once she knows what sound each letter makes. For example, you can call out a letter and she has to find it and then say something that starts with that letter! Other activities my little ones enjoy are I Spy at the grocery store. "I spy the letter ____!" and of course at the store there are soooo many learning opportunities! Cut out the labels on empty boxes so she becomes familiar with words that are common around HER home. This builds confindence in reading. If you get flashcards, make sure they have both upper AND lowercase letters. They are expected to identify all 52 of them by the middle of Kindergarten where we live. There are so many other things you could do. Just have fun! Remember to take it easy and have fun! By fostering a love of learning at a young age and not making it a chore or a competition, she will excel! She is lucky to have parents like you. Oh, I almost forgot! Jumpstart computer programs are fantastic! We have all of them up to grade 4 and they are really superb- tons of activities- not just with letters/reading but all sorts of math (measuring, numbers, etc..)

Zoo Phonics in Pre-K


 

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You've Got Mail 03-22-11
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