Fun with Letters!

Letter knowledge (the ability to recognize upper and lower case letters, know letter names, and the sounds they make) is one of the six early literacy skills children need to have in order to learn to read. It is also the most important early literacy skill used to predict a child’s success in learning to read.

Come see how learning letters can be fun! The library will be hosting Fun with Letters, a workshop for parents and children ages 2 - 5 to enjoy together on Wednesday, March 1 at 10:00 a.m. This workshop will show parents how to use the five early literacy skills - reading, writing, talking, singing, and playing - to help children learn letters and letter sounds. Register online at wclibrary.info, in person at the Centerville Children’s Desk, or by phone at 433-8091, opt. 3.

If you can’t attend the workshop, here are a few fun ways to help your child develop letter knowledge:

· Start with the letters in your child’s name. These are the most important to them. Write your child’s name where he can see it (magnetic letters on the fridge, etc). Point out the first letter of your child’s name anywhere you see it.
· Write your child’s name on heavy cardboard so he can trace it with a finger or a crayon.
· Sing the ABC song.
· Play with letters - magnetic letters on the fridge, blocks with letters on them, and foam letters in the bathtub.
· Read alphabet books.
· Hide magnetic or foam letters around the room. When your child finds a letter, ask her to name it or say the letter sound.
· Let your child scribble or practice writing a few letters.
· Play with shapes and point out shapes around you.

Guest post by Allison C. 

Outdoor Fun with Letters!

Letter awareness is knowing that the same letter can look different, that letters have names, and that letters are related to sounds. It is one of the early literacy skills that is important for children to have in order to learn to read. Did you know that the summer is an excellent time to work on this skill? There are lots of activities that you can do with your child to build this skill, and the ability to go outside and have some fun will help the process! The beginning stage of letter awareness is learning about shapes. While you are playing with toys or going on walks, point out shapes that you may see, like how a ball is a circle or a block is a square. This will eventually evolve into seeing the shapes within letters, and you can start working on the letter shapes themselves. Write out your child’s name in sidewalk chalk and have them trace it. Find objects outside, like pine cones or rocks, and talk about the first letter in the object’s name. Once your child recognizes the letter shapes, you can create fun games with letters, like this grab and pull letter load game, a pool noodle obstacle course, or a movement game! With the great weather during the summer, outside is the place to be and the place to have fun while learning!

Guest post by Sarah H.