Chances are, your preschooler isn\u2019t quite ready to make the jump to reading yet, but she might be giving you signs that she\u2019s ready to move towards learning her alphabet, basic phonics and some easy sight words. \u00a0 If you start now, you can instill a desire for learning and reading in your child that will last a lifetime. Some parents wrestle with the decision as to when to start preschool and one way to know when your child is ready is by using sight words for PreK.<\/p>\n
At a year old, you can help your child start to focus on letters and words by pointing out words in books, on signs and on toys. Sounding out the letters of the words will help them learn to speak as well. \u00a0By two years old, your child will probably be ready to learn the alphabet song. \u00a0This simple act of memorization will stimulate their brains and help them start the recognition process for letters and simple words by the time they reach four years old.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sight words are words that appear regularly in your children\u2019s reading text, but aren\u2019t easy to sound out. \u00a0Instead, these words must be memorized so children recognize them by \u201csight\u201d rather than because they are sounding them out. Although most children don\u2019t learn sight words until they enter kindergarten, here are some of the most common words you can start on to give your preschooler a jumpstart on their learning:\u00a0\u201ca, at, an, and, am, are, can, do, for, go, have, he, here, in, I, is, it, like, look, me, my, no, play, said, see, \u00a0she, so, \u00a0the, to, up, we.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
We have put together some easy, fun ways to help your child learn before he\/she enters kindergarten.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.\tIntroduce only 5 new words per week, print each word and start a \u201cword wall\u201d in your child\u2019s room or toy room.\u00a0
\n2.\tContinue to review words from previous weeks as you add new words.\u00a0
\n3.\tTake turns using each new and previous word in a sentence to help your children learn their meanings and uses.\u00a0
\n4.\tPlay word Bingo \u2013 put several sight words on a grid and call them out. The first to cover a straight line of words wins the round. \u00a0This helps children start to recognize the words by look and sound.\u00a0
\n5.\tLet your child spell new words in the air with a \u201cfinger pointer\u201d. \u00a0As they write in the air, you can guess what word they are writing. Take turns doing this and score points for each correct guess if you like.\u00a0
\n6.\tSay or point to a word on your word wall and ask your child to find a word that rhymes with each one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The easiest sight words for children to learn are their names. \u00a0This is an easy way to gauge where your child is in his learning curve and whether he\u2019s ready to take the next step. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Learning sight words is an act of memorization, so the key to helping your child see them correctly is to repeat them frequently and use visual stimulation to help them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The best way to spark your child\u2019s interest in reading is to surround them with books and reading. \u00a0If they watch parents and siblings read, chances are they will want to join in the activity. \u00a0It will help to have reading time each night where you can read stories or work on the new words for the week.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Even DVDs that include song lyrics are great resources for teaching your children the value and entertainment in reading. \u00a0Any time your child shows an interest in s specific topic, find a book that goes along with the topic to help them understand more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"