Learning to read in preschool can be a lot of fun! I’ve compiled a list of prereading activities to help your child stay engaged and prepare him or her for reading. Activities can include your child’s interests or focused on skills such as letter recognition and phonics.
Including activities such as coloring, singing, or making a craft are being shown to impact positively. These types of activities allow children to explore books without the pressure of reading them first.
10 Efficient Prereading Activities for Preschoolers
1. Start with colors:
Learning to recognize colors allows your child to relate letters to objects and concepts.
Learn the letters M, a,r,y by reciting the colors of a rainbow. For example, “Mar” is for Mari”y.”
Start with the letter M. Layout some materials that are red (like crayons or markers). Talk about red and red “M.” Next to present something yellow, like a sponge ball or paintbrush. Talk about how they are yellow and y “M.”
Paint the letters of the alphabet on a big sheet of colored paper.
2. Animals:
Playing with animals helps children learn their names and sounds. First, pick out some of your child’s favorite toys, such as stuffed animals, dolls, or stuffed animals. Begin by saying the name of each animal one letter at a time (animal 1 = Q). Say it with a repetition that is easy for your child to understand (e.g., duck quack). If your child already knows the name of the animal, ask them how to spell it. For example, if your child’s favorite toy is a duck, ask him or her if they know how to spell duck? After you’ve gone through all the animals. End with asking your child what sounds each animal makes (e.g., Sheep = Ba-a-a).
3. Phonics and letter shapes:
Reading experts suggest that children learn to recognize the letters before they know how to read. Find a book with wacky pictures of animals with the corresponding letter (“s” for a snake, for example). Correct any mistakes that your child makes while reading. For instance, if your child says “f” for a snake, correct him or her by saying, “No, it says Sssssnake.”
4. Food:
Learning to read can be fun when you read about food! Find a book that matches the different shapes with food. If you’re unfamiliar with how letters are shaped, take some time to have your child point them out to you. When your child tells you the letter, say it aloud (e.g., “Is that an o?”).
5. Settings:
Help your child learn about familiar places such as home or school using a book of corresponding photographs (“s” for school, for example). If you’re unfamiliar with how letters are shaped, take some time to have your child point them out to you. When your child tells you the letter, say it aloud (e.g., “Is that an o?”).
6. Storybooks:
Read a short storybook with your child. Have your child point out objects or describe what they are. If you’re unfamiliar with how letters are shaped, take some time to have your child point them out to you. When your child tells you the letter, say it aloud (e.g., “Is that an o?”).
7. Rhymes:
Have children participate in a rhyme game using objects that correspond with the letter of the word they are trying to read (letter “s,” for example).
8. Music:
Make a song of a letter’s name so you can sing it to your child as you are driving around town or while going about your daily prereading activities.
9. Books:
Choose a book that your child knows or one that he or she is interested in. Read the book a couple of times with your child. After you finish reading, please have your child point out objects or describe what they are. If you’re unfamiliar with how letters are shaped, take some time to have your child point them out to you. When your child tells you the letter, say it aloud (e.g., “Is that an o?”).
10. Writing:
Let your child write letters on a piece of paper. Read what he or she wrote and have your child point out objects or describe what they are. If you’re unfamiliar with how letters are shaped, take some time to have your child point them out to you. When your child tells you the letter, say it aloud (e.g., “Is that an o?”).
Benefits of Encouraging Your Kids to Read
1. Learning to read is not just fun but a valuable skill as well. You may have already seen evidence of how reading has impacted your child’s life, such as how they have been able to read the clouds in the sky, but when they are in school, they try to hide their books from other classmates because they know that their English class is not good at explaining the contents of their books.
2. Reading improves your child’s memory. Reading helps your child learn the word and then its meaning. It improves their recall skills and makes them better at remembering other things that they read about.
3. Reading also builds their vocabulary and makes them more confident in using words that they have just learned, so reading gives them a better knowledge of how to express themselves in English.
4. Reading can build self-confidence that helps them feel more confident and secure about themselves. It also helps them to feel good about their abilities.
5. Reading can help your child develop a better sense of judgment, maturity, and respect for others. Their ability to read makes them more conscious of what is going on in the world around them. It even makes them more sensitive towards others. They learn to be more empathetic towards people with different opinions and values from their own. The ability to read also helps them learn from the examples of others and the experiences of others, which is how they develop a better understanding of life.
6. Reading helps your child better interpret other peoples’ emotions through body language and facial expressions. It is an essential skill that your child will need as a future adult, and it also helps him or she understand how others feel about them.
7. Reading helps your child to understand better what they are feeling. If they’re feeling sad, they might know that this is because a particular situation happened in the past, making them feel low and painful feelings can happen again.
8. Reading makes them more aware of how others think and feel, which is also vital to come up with more informed decisions in their lives towards what they want to do with their lives after school and in the future when they leave home.
If you have a little one at preschool, make sure to take some time and prepare some engaging prereading activities for them. Practicing reading skills at an early age is just as important as practicing writing skills, so you should try to take the opportunity to teach your child just how fun reading can be!
