When children are learning handwriting, it’s important to aim for “automaticity.” Automaticity refers to the ability to do something correctly from memory, with relatively little effort. As children learn the strokes to form letters in the same way, each time they write, they can achieve greater automaticity with handwriting. This incr...
Holding a pencil correctly can help avoid fatigue and cramping that can make writing difficult. Have your child rest the forearm in a neutral position on a flat writing surface. The hand should rest on the little finger allowing the wrist to move freely. The thumb needs to be in a position where it can provide resistance to the fingers...
Studies show that reading aloud to your child is the most important thing you can do to help build skills for future reading success. As children listen to books read aloud at any age, they can gain access to text that is more challenging than they could tackle on their own. This exposure helps young readers build oral vocabulary, prac...
Some babies may utter their first words as early as 9 months of age. It’s important to note, however, that learning experts differ in how they assess whether a first word has been spoken. For example, some experts suggest that the first utterance of any word that sounds like a word used by adults, such as “dada” or “mama,” counts as a ...
Children who are just beginning to identify and write letters often confuse b, d, p, and q, reversing letters that share similar visual characteristics. Some children may continue to reverse letters into the second grade. Oftentimes, letter reversals subside as children get more reading and writing experience and build their awarenes...
It sounds like your child is ready to engage in more independent reading to maintain a good level of challenge. Not surprisingly, research shows that the more children read the better readers they become, with a broader vocabulary and deeper knowledge about people and the world. Studies indicate that, on average, children who read more...
This is a great opportunity to provide your toddler with
printables and activities that challenge him to grasp early reading and math skills. Browse the Preschool and Pre-K printables and activities on Learning Path that focus on basic letter and number learning. Encourage your child to
call out letters or words in books as you read to...
There are many fun books to get your child excited about the holiday! “The Night Before Christmas” by Rachel Isadora adds a modern twist to a classic favorite, and is beautifully illustrated using paper collage and oil paints. “Dream Snow” by Eric Carle is a wintery tale that really captures the snowy magic of the holidays. “Duck & Goo...
Research has shown that strong rhymers make good readers! The reason that learning to rhyme is so important is because it helps with phonological awareness. By listening to rhymes, your son begins to recognize that words share segments of sound (for example, cat and hat, share the sound “at”), and that words that have sounds in common ...
Remembering what sound each letter makes is crucial to learning how to read. Vowels can be particularly tricky for young children because they have both a long and a short sound. Make learning long and short vowel sounds fun by going on a short or long “vowel word hunt” in your house, the car, or the grocery store. Encourage your son t...
It sounds like your son really enjoys being creative, so try to introduce letter-writing activities that build on his love of drawing and coloring. Invite him to make animals or other fun drawings from basic letter shapes. For example, after he writes an uppercase B, encourage him to add black and yellow stripes and a pair of wings to ...
There are many fun books to get your child excited about the holiday! “The Polar Express ” by Chris Van Allsburg and “How the Grinch that Stole Christmas!” by Dr. Seuss are two great holiday classics. “Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas” by Julia Rawlinson is a wintery tale that really captures the magic of the holidays with some of ...