Value Bookshop's Reading Notes

Test Your Child’s Pre-Reading Skills

lian — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:37:14 +0000

I came across this screening tool that helps you to know your children’s reading readiness. It is recommended for 4 year old children but I did it with my 3 year old. There is a list of 20 questions. You sit with your child in front of the computer and read them the questions. They then select their answer from 4 choices.

My son’s score was in this range:

13-16 Correct
This child has mastered many of the necessary skills and is almost ready to learn how to read and write. Continue playful activities to help the child prepare to learn to read and write.

Not bad. Using this screening tool gave me a better idea of what kind of skills he needs to know. It also gave me an indication of what kind of activities I should do more with him.

If you have a child that is going to kindergarten soon (or already in kindergarten), take a few minutes to do this screening test. Click here for more information: Reading Readiness Screening Tool

How about a free e-course on How To Teach Your Children To Read and Spell?
Just sign up below.

Make Reading Fun For Your Kids

lian — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:02:41 +0000

Do you have a child just learning how to read? You’ve already heard that children learn best when learning is fun. So, here is one way to make reading fun for your kids. The next time you go to the store to do your grocery shopping, turn it into a reading adventure for your kids. Here are some ideas:

Share your shopping list with them and have them cross out the items as you put them in your shopping cart
Have a word hunt. Give them a list of words and see if they can find those words as you shop. It could be on the signboards, posters, labels or products.
Write down the alphabets from A-Z. If they see something that starts with that alphabet, they can cross it out.
Instead of a list of words, you could create a bingo card.

Reading doesn’t just have to be confined to books. Make use of your print-rich environment.

Click here for a FREE e-course: How To Teach You Children To Read and Spell

Preparing For Your Child’s First Day At Preschool

lian — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:20:48 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Preschool can be very difficult for young children. They don’t have a concept of time, so it is hard for them to understand that they will be at the preschool for a portion of the day and then you will pick them up again. Kids can have a difficult time letting their mom or dad leave.

Everyone has seen scenes where a child is clinging to their parent, tears coursing down their face, and the parent is reluctant to leave, glancing around for some help. This is not only hard for the child, but also for the parent. I think we have all seen or faced this experience.

Situations like these can be less stressful if you follow 2 simple ideas.

Familiarization.
If you are starting out at a new preschool, visit before the first day and take a tour of the school. Tell your child how they get to be big now and go to school. Show them where their things will belong. Find out what they will be doing on their first day. Most schools have a schedule with themes and activities mapped out. You can talk about how they get to paint today, or they are learning about clowns. Get your child excited about what they will be doing. Prepare them by telling them what to expect.
Don’t over sensationalize.
When the day arrives to take them to school, don’t make a big deal about saying goodbye. Help them hang up their things and take them to their teacher. Give them a quick kiss or hug and say goodbye. Then turn around and leave. This is the hardest part – walking away. Dragging out the goodbyes only makes it more emotional for your child. If you don’t act like you will be missing them throughout the day, they won’t act that way either. If you are tense and worried, your child will pick that feeling up from you.

Having your child go to preschool for the first time can be an emotional experience for both parent and child. It may be rough the first few weeks especially if your child is going through separation anxiety. Don’t deny their feelings. Instead, acknowledge them. Then keep on reassuring them and soon, the difficult part will past. Don’t forget to work with the teachers and get their input. They’ve faced many such situations. They are your best ally.

Learn To Read With Memory Game

lian — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:21:55 +0000

Children learn quickly when learning is enjoyable. Using games is a way to make learning fun. Here is an idea on how to make it fun for your children to learn to read high frequency words: Use the memory game. Some people call it the concentration game or matching game.

How to do it?
Select the words that you want your children to learn by sight. Write them on individual index cards. Make sure each word is written on 2 different cards. So if you have a list of 10 words, you should have 20 cards. Shuffle them around and lay them out face down on a table or floor. Have your child open one card and read the word. Then open another card and read that word. If the word is the same, your child keeps the matching pair of words. If not, the two cards must be flipped back facing down again.

It’s more fun to play when there are 2 players or more. So if your child has no other children to play with, why don’t you join in the game. Each person takes a turn. The one who finds a match gets to go again.

Tips

If your children are very young or don’t have a very long attention span, don’t use too many words. Maybe start with 8-10 cards and then slowly increase when they get better.
If you sign up for my free e-course “Teaching Your Children To Read and Spell”, you will receive a teaching toolkit which includes a list of Dolch words (high frequency words). You don’t have to go to the internet to do anymore searching. I’ve got it ready for you to print out.

Just fill in the form below to receive the free e-course that will run for 8 days.