Learning Path Stones

Phonics Skills

Phonics Skills
Before they can read independently, children must learn the relationship of letters to their sounds and be able to distinguish individual sounds, or phonemes, within words. Phonics skills help children sounds out new words (If I can read "pot", then I can read "hot" and "spot").

The Alphabet

The Alphabet
Knowing the letters of the alphabet is one of the first steps toward learning to read and write. Introducing letters to young children helps them learn to recognize the different shapes and names - an early indicator for reading achievement.

Consonants

Consonants
There are more consonants sounds than there are consonants in the alphabet. A consonant digraph is a pair of consonants that stand for a single sound (ch, sh, th, wh).

Sight Words and Homophones

Sight Words and Homophones
Sight words are words that can't be sounded out and so must be learned by sight (the, he, she , was, and so on). Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently, such as to, too, and two.

Spanish Vocabulary

Spanish Vocabulary
Exposure to foreign languages at a young age can help children understand their own language better. Studies show that children who are bilingual or who study foreign languages enjoy increased academic achievement and perform better on standardized tests.

Animal Facts

Animal Facts
Young children are naturally intrigued by animals and animal facts. Very early on children begin to categorize animals by species and learn interesting facts about them. This early interest in animals provides the motivation for later work in life sciences.

Shapes

Shapes
Identifying and manipulating shapes lays the groundwork for geometry by giving children concrete experience with angles, symmetry and relative sizes.

Number Recognition

Number Recognition
To begin their study of math, children must distinguish numerals from letters and shapes and understand that numbers are symbols for amounts.