ready for kindergarten reading



See the baby kittens?  yes  no  

1) Children are expert at reading their parent's mood so be calm and stay positive no matter what. Expect that learning a lesson is going to be successful over time - not immediately; show no frustration with your child.

2) If you have a reluctant child, get a 10 minute "hour" glass or other easy timing device. Show your child how it works. Be strict about stopping when the time is up. Short and sweet is best. Some parents cannot work with their children; get Grandma or Grandpa to help.

3) Start with easy lessons:  At Office Max, Target, etc. get an ABC letter strip. Learn the name and sound for 3 letters at a time. Sing the ABCs song; play "I Spy" for items that start with B, then C, and so on. 

Play memory-building games like Go Fish. Also, set a small item  somewhere in plain sight then ask your child to find it; place 4 items on a plate - look at them - then take away the plate and name all 4. 

Get a book of finger-games and play them; name items that come in pairs (shoes, socks, salt and pepper, etc.); sort the silverware for size and shape; look for round items, look for square items; soft items, rough-feeling items - talk about how items are alike / how they differ. 

Tip: Printing backward letters is natural, will self-correct by mid 2nd Grade, is rarely dyslexia, will not slow your child's progress - ignore them. However, b, d, g, p, q are crucial to success. Use my search box - top left corner - put in backward b. 

I now use eBay. Search Instant Reading Help all my books will pop up for you. All books are brand new and include my contact info; email or call for help. Let's make reading fun and easy for your child, Mary Maisner