Lifestyle Literacy Learning

Helping your child learn to read and write doesn’t have to take a lot of extra time or money. Here are
some easy ways to build literacy skills, at home, in the sun, or on the run.
At home
• Make sure your child sees you reading and writing as you go through your day. Talk about what
you read and write so your child can hear. Say: “I need to write Dad a note about our picnic
tomorrow.” “I wonder what kind of nuts this recipe says to use. Let’s see, w-a-l-n-u-t spells
wwwwaaaaalllllnnnnuuuuttttt. Can you get the walnuts from the refrigerator?”
• Encourage your child to spell and write her name. At first, she may use just a few letters for her
name; for example, Jenny might use the letters JNY. (Letter/sound recognition)
• Place alphabet magnets on your refrigerator or on another smooth, safe metal surface. When you
are working in the kitchen, ask your child to name the letters she plays with and see if she can find
all the letters that are alike. Talk about the sounds they make (Letter/sound recognition)
• Point to objects and say their names, for example, sink. Then ask your child to say as many words
as he can that rhyme with the name. Other good easily rhymed words are ball, bread, rug, and
clock. Let him use some silly or nonsense, words as well: ball—tall, call, small, dall, jall, nall.
(Phonological awareness)
In the sun
• Lie on the ground and describe the shapes of the clouds.
(Oral language & vocabulary skills)
• Take a nature walk. When you get home, ask your child to write all the things you saw or collected.
Young writers can draw the objects and adults can label the drawings with the “book”
spelling of the words. “Collect” these words in a writer’s journal. (Vocabulary)
• Play the “Silent Walking Game” when you’re walking in the park, woods or neighborhood. Walk
quietly for a few minutes, or until your child just can’t stay silent any longer. Then have each
family member recall the sounds they heard during the walk. Repeat as long as you are having
fun. (Phonological awareness)
• At the beach or in the garden, draw shapes in the sand or soil. Can your child match the shape?
Try making them “giant-sized” by walking the shapes or letters. Pretend you are writing messages
to airplanes that might pass by. (Phonics)
On the run
• Point out printed words when you are out and about. Point out individual letters in signs, billboards,
posters, food containers, books and magazines. (Phonics; print awareness)
• Keep in your purse or car a stack of pictures you’ve cut out of magazines or newspapers. Ask your
child to tell you a story about the picture or describe all the things s/he sees in the picture. (Comprehension;
vocabulary)
• Listen for rhymes in songs that you know or hear on the radio, speaker systems or at family
gatherings. Sing the songs with your child. (Phonological awareness)
• Help your child to make up and say silly sentences with lots of words that start with the same
sound, such as, “Tom took ten toy trucks to town.” (Phonological Awareness)
Parent Introducation—Grade Pre-K 6



PILOT
FOR SUMMER LEARNING
Resources for more ideas