Pour les parents

Here are some ideas on different word games for early readers as well as tips and techniques for you.

We have collected the best of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) tips and techniques for you here and also some word games for early readers.

Tips and techniques

Reading aloud with your early reader

The most important and one of the easiest and most gratifying things that you can do as a parent to help your early reader is to read aloud with him or her daily. This may be reading a chapter book section by section leaving the child to anticipate what will happen next.

The Phonic alphabet

Each letter has a both a name and one or more sounds. Teaching the phonic alphabet is teaching your early reader to recognise and produce the sounds of the letters. When reading with your child make her or him sound out the letters that they know!

Or you can ask them names: Whose name begins with the ‘b’ sound? Bunny! Take one sound at a time. Or play "I Spy": What do you see that begins with the ‘m’ sound?

Build up words by taking a sound at a time. Eg: 'd' 'o' 'g' for dog. 'h' 'a' 't' for hat

Reading by sight whole words

What are sight words? They are the short words that your early reader can recognize "on sight". These are things like the and come, or verbs like see. If you work on these words by making up word cards you can train your child to recognize them all at once.

Sight words are often in stories and nursery rhymes that you read aloud to your child. (We encourage all parents to take the time to read aloud to their child. This gives a very precious moment together as well as teaching!) Let your children read words that they already know from a nursery rhyme or familiar story.

Blends

What are blends? They are the combination of two or more sounds. There are the sound like "sh" in ship or shape or the "cr" sound in crash. And for the Francophones the always challenging "th" sound as in "the" and "think".

Word games for early readers

Some of the most fun things you can do with your early reader are word games which will help them remember the letters and recognise words. We recommend that you stock up on plain cardboard cards (A6 size file cards in Europe are about right) and lots of colored pens and pencils.

Phonics Games

Use Alphabet cards with pictures. Say the picture and then the sound at the begining of the word - show the letter: eg: wagon - w - flip the card over to show the 'w'.

Get various alphabet puzzles - these are great for fine motor skills as well as letter learning.

Create a card deck with each letter in it two times (or use one that you buy) - Play 'Go Fish' with small and capital letters in a deck.

Have your child sing the alphabet song and tell you what letter comes next.

Put letters on the steps in your house (assuming that you have them!) Climb up or down with your child making the sound and saying the name of each letter. Mix them up out of order and repeat this.

Select a letter for the day. Play "I Spy" while traveling in the car using the letter.

Buy a floor alphabet puzzle and go through the puzzle by saying the sounds of the letters.

Writing Games

Be creative with Paper and materials. Use different types of paper or white boards. Children love to write on different things or use fun pens.

Have your child draw shapes like spirals, zig-zags, figure 8's from left to right. These are excellent for developing fine motor skills - great for gaining writing control.

Reading Games

Circle letters in a magazine or newspaper etc. with your child. Can you find a "b"? Choose one letter then move on to another.

Label the rooms of your home, the furniture, toys. Take words that the children are already familiar with (e.g. table, chair, bathroom).

Read signs or labels out loud

While reading to your child (you do read to your child out loud, now don't you?) show how you move from one word to another. Move your finger and eyes along from the left to the right and top to bottom.