In this teleclass, expertly presented by Amanda Lehrman, we discovered that you cannot “teach” a child to read. All parents do is provide skills for their children to apply when they are ready. Amanda provided ways to encourage this skill and increase your child’s early reading and comprehension.
If you missed this enlightening teleclass, you can listen to the taped class here.
One of the many tips that our expert shared was the importance of “labeling” household items to promote early sound/symbol correspondence. Below is an article written by Amanda on this subject.
Also, here are some links that Amanda mentioned during the talk for your reference:
http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/printable_booklets.html
http://www.kindergartenkindergarten.com/2011/08/sight-word-readers.html
http://www.sightwordsgame.com/sight-word-books/sight-word-book-farm-animals/
Breakthrough Moments
(Originally posted on The Momma Files by Amanda Lehrman):
The little boy, not even 2, pointed to the label on the door and said “d”. It was one of those moments where you want to scream out, “that’s my child”! I have labels around my house and have since Jack was one year old. I knew that it was too early for him to recognize the letters and articulate anything, much less the identification of an A, B or C. But I did know, as I write about, that one day he would make the connection and do so independently.
Jack started showing knowledge of letters and numbers pretty early. My husband and I make a conscious effort to expose Jack but we never pushed it. Playing with toy letters in the bath, introducing toys that reinforced the alphabet and numbers, naming the letters of his name, hung up so boldly in his room, the usual. I always knew that he would make the connection on his own but you can never tell when this will happen.
A few months ago, we were playing in the house and he went up to the “door” label on the door and said “d”. He was so proud of himself. You could see him light up instantly. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was counting out loud on the playground and after I said 1, I hear this little voice say, “2, 3, 4″. Then he skipped to 7! Another scream out loud moment.
I may sound like I am bragging about my child and yes, of course I am proud of him, but I recall these moments because they all happened authentically, without nudging or pushing or demanding. When Jack was ready, he did it and although he had background knowledge and exposure, the connection was made when he felt comfortable expressing it.
I hold onto these breakthrough moments, knowing that they will not happen every day and there will be plenty of times I wish for one and it doesn’t appear. They will not all be academic, many will be social and emotional and those are just as if not more important. I also know that as parents, we have to live for these moments and hold onto them close.
Tomorrow we have the first day of “school” which I know will not be easy. I am dreading the drop off process to say the least. But, I am confident that as time passes, we will have the moment of “first time dropping Jack at school without crying” sooner than later. I don’t know when but I know it will happen. And, when it does, I will scream, “that’s my child”!
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For those of you wondering if labeling is working for your child (3+) , here are some helpful hints:
1. If you ask your child where a certain label is but not sure if they really know it, make a duplicate set of labels and play a matching game. For example, give them a label of the word mirror and have them go match it to the label in your home.
2. Bring your duplicate set with you to grandparent’s or family homes. Assuming it is OK with the homeowners, have them add labels to someone else’s home.
3. Give them three labels to choose from, asking them to find the label for door or chair. If they care having difficulty, take one away and see if that helps. If not, help them match the loose label to the label on the item.
Amanda Lehrman, founder of TheMommaFiles, is a trained teacher and curriculum consultant. She attended Fordham University and received an M.S.T in Elementary Education and has worked with the Accelerated Literacy Learning program as well as Teachers College Reading and Writing projects, Kaplan K-12 and Catapult Learning. Amanda currently teaches 3rd through 5th grade students in a Gifted & Talented program in Edison, NJ.
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