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I used to teach Math in grades 5-6, so I am not adept on the topic I am going to tackle about, Letter Sounds. But recently, I borrowed a Reading book from our neighbor whose child is in the preschool right now. This book is in addition to my teaching resources to guide me teach my 3.5-year-old girl. As I went over it, I came to know that letter sounds should be taught first before letter names. Otherwise, children will be confused the moment you teach reading. I wish I had known this when Chesska was still younger. But since she knew letter names first, so be it!
So in the last week, we have been doing a lot of activities. One of them is identifying the sound that each letter makes because it is very important in teaching reading. According to studies, it doesn't matter if you teach children letters in particular order. But in my case, I still started with "A" (we were used to it since Kinder, right? )While I am eager to teach my child about Reading, I can't push this through because she's not knowledgeable enough about letter sounds. In fact, I created an Alphabet wall in our room, which I am going to share with you in a separate post, to review her about sounds anytime she's in the mood.
Since I started with the letter A, here are some tips how I teach the "A" sound.
The first step was, I talked about what the letter A sounds like. At first, she was not paying attention, so I had to sing the Phonics song that she was so fond of. Finally, I got her to follow me singing. I also discussed words that start with letter A, still in tune of the same music - Aaaaaa Apple, Aaaaaa Ant, Aaaaa Axe. You would've figured now how silly I was (hehe). But that's one way to encourage children to learn. By the way, check out the phonics song here.
The second thing we did was ART. I cut out an alligator mouth that looks like A. Since Chesska loves hands-on activities, I let her glue onto bond paper the alligator mouth and other parts such as eyes and teeth. I also cut out pictures that begin with the letter A and asked her to paste them below the glued picture. I compiled her first craft into a folder and will review it with her anytime.
I also prepared more activities to reinforce the concept learned. On this activity, I had her name each picture and put the clothespin on the picture that begins with the letter A. Motor skills have been incorporated as well.
As much as Chesska loves hands-on activities, she still dislikes tracing. I didn't force her when she seemed uninterested. But on this day, I got her to trace the letters (Yay!). You can print the worksheets here.
How about you? How do you teach letter sounds?
By the way, let me share you the curriculum I have been using for weeks now. This Ebook contains hands-on, engaging, and fun activities that your kids will surely love. Click here to learn more.
I used to teach Math in grades 5-6, so I am not adept on the topic I am going to tackle about, Letter Sounds. But recently, I borrowed a Reading book from our neighbor whose child is in the preschool right now. This book is in addition to my teaching resources to guide me teach my 3.5-year-old girl. As I went over it, I came to know that letter sounds should be taught first before letter names. Otherwise, children will be confused the moment you teach reading. I wish I had known this when Chesska was still younger. But since she knew letter names first, so be it!
So in the last week, we have been doing a lot of activities. One of them is identifying the sound that each letter makes because it is very important in teaching reading. According to studies, it doesn't matter if you teach children letters in particular order. But in my case, I still started with "A" (we were used to it since Kinder, right? )While I am eager to teach my child about Reading, I can't push this through because she's not knowledgeable enough about letter sounds. In fact, I created an Alphabet wall in our room, which I am going to share with you in a separate post, to review her about sounds anytime she's in the mood.
Since I started with the letter A, here are some tips how I teach the "A" sound.
The first step was, I talked about what the letter A sounds like. At first, she was not paying attention, so I had to sing the Phonics song that she was so fond of. Finally, I got her to follow me singing. I also discussed words that start with letter A, still in tune of the same music - Aaaaaa Apple, Aaaaaa Ant, Aaaaa Axe. You would've figured now how silly I was (hehe). But that's one way to encourage children to learn. By the way, check out the phonics song here.
The second thing we did was ART. I cut out an alligator mouth that looks like A. Since Chesska loves hands-on activities, I let her glue onto bond paper the alligator mouth and other parts such as eyes and teeth. I also cut out pictures that begin with the letter A and asked her to paste them below the glued picture. I compiled her first craft into a folder and will review it with her anytime.
As much as Chesska loves hands-on activities, she still dislikes tracing. I didn't force her when she seemed uninterested. But on this day, I got her to trace the letters (Yay!). You can print the worksheets here.
How about you? How do you teach letter sounds?
By the way, let me share you the curriculum I have been using for weeks now. This Ebook contains hands-on, engaging, and fun activities that your kids will surely love. Click here to learn more.
