Nursery Rhymes: Idea #106

Did you know that having your student memorize nursery rhymes actually helps them read better? Did you know that "experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they’re 4 years old, they’re usually among the best readers by the time they’re 8." (quote found on the following website: http://writingtosanity.com/nursery-rhymes-help/).

Nursery rhymes are fun and easy for kids to learn. They are easy to memorize because they have a predictable outcome, good consistent rhythm, and of course they rhyme. Kids love the stories and especially the characters. It stretches their imagination. Some of them are quite clever and funny. 

Nursery rhymes can expand your child's vocabulary because they learn new words like: tuffet, curds and whey. It's also a great way to introduce poetry to your child early. Nursery rhymes have been made into songs as well, making them even easier to learn. Check out Dr. Jean's nursery rhymes cd here: http://www.quill.com/dr-jean-feldman-cds/cbs/220339.html?cm_mmc=SEM_PLA_220339.

Here are a some of my favorite nursery rhymes: 'Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush', 'Hey Diddle Diddle', 'Hickory Dickory Dock', 'Hot Cross Buns', 'Humpty Dumpty', 'Jack and Jill', 'Little Bo Peep', 'Little Miss Muffet', 'Little Boy Blue', 'Mary Had a Little Lamb', 'Old Mother Hubbard', and many more. You can find a list of them on wikipedia.com.

Check out this website for more information on nursery rhymes and why they are so beneficial for your student to learn: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education-news/2011/10/11/how-nursery-rhymes-can-help-children-learn-91466-29571675/. 

If you want to check out some great nursery rhyme videos, go to youtube and type in: Nursery Rhymes 1983. This could also be a great way for your child to learn them.

They will have more fun learning these rhymes than you may think!

Pre-K Pages.com: Idea #105

Okay, it's time for me to share another wonderful website. The website is called Pre-K Pages. There are many great things on this website. You can find: assessments, center ideas, ideas for classroom management, literacy, math, music, schedules, worksheets, teaching tips, technology ideas, themes, and even workshops. It would be worth your time to look it over. 

As far as helping your child learn how to read, under the Literacy section there are great ideas for teaching your child the alphabet, how to make class books, worksheets, nursery rhymes, phonics, reading workshops, sight words, and WORD WALLS! I like the games, ideas, and explanations on how to teach concepts. Things are explained very simply and direct. 

This website is a great resource for all parents and teachers. Check it out: http://www.pre-kpages.com.

Word Wall: Idea #104

A word wall is an organized collection of words that are largely displayed on a wall or chalkboard or bulletin board. Word walls mainly include high frequency words, sight words, names, hard words, or any words that seem necessary for a student to frequently see.

A word wall is also nicely organized in alphabetical order. This makes it easy for a student to make the connection of which words start with same sounds. The student also kind of memorizes the location of words on a word wall so that when it comes time to write a sentence, they can use the word wall as a reference.

Word walls help kids recognize tough words in their reading and see patterns between words. They can also help students with spelling and reading practice.

Try using a word wall with your student. Maybe start with a few simple words and then add a few more each week. 

Check out some great ideas on word walls here: http://www.theschoolbell.com/Links/word_walls/words.html 

I hope this helps your student!

Sing-Along Songs: Idea #103

Sing-Along movies can help your student identify new words. Sing-Along movies are typically made for kids to learn certain songs. I like them because when your child is supposed to be singing a particular word, the word lights up on the screen. This helps your child make the connection of how the word looks to how it sounds. 

Kids love to watch movies over and over again. This repetition could really come in handy for learning words. Plus, they get to learn some fun songs. 

Check out Disney's Sing Along Songs here: http://www.youtube.com/user/DisneySingAlongSongs. After your child has learned a few songs, maybe you could reward them with a karaoke night. How fun!

Sight Word Shapes: Idea #102

Yesterday I introduced the concept that letters can be shapes. Many times a student can identify a sight word by the shape that it makes. To help reinforce sight words, try the following matching game with your child:

1. Take the word here.

2. Draw a box around each letter. You will see a rectangle for the h and then three squares for the two e's and the one r. 

3.This is the shape here makes.

4. If you find that making sight words into shapes really helps your student identify them, try this fun little matching exercise. Answers are below!

1. c     2. e     3. a     4. b     5. d

Have fun!

Sight Word Art: Idea #101

Did you know that words are shapes? Even each letter of the alphabet is a shape. Sometimes students are able to identify sight words because of the shapes they make. This is what I mean:

1. Take the word they, for example.

I apologize for the shadow.

2. If I put boxes around each letter, you can see that t, h, and y are all rectangles. E is a square.

3. The shape of they then turns out to be this:

4. In order to teach your student the shape of a sight word, do a fun art project. Have your student outline the sight word shape with different colors. Make sure they choose a word that they struggle reading or identifying.

5. They can even fill up the entire page outlining the word shape.

Every child is different. They each learn in a different way. Knowing a sight word's shape could be very beneficial to a visual learner. It could be the key to helping your student identify those tough sight words. Have fun!

Glitter Sight Words: Idea #100

Kids LOVE glitter. Glitter is a great way to get kids excited about a sight word that they may be having difficulty with. I did this simple activity with my 1st graders about two years ago and they enjoyed it so much. Here is what you do:

1. Student writes sight word large on a piece of white paper (construction and cardstock work best). Make sure it is a sight word they are struggling with.

**When your student is writing the word, make sure they space out the letters or they won't be able to read the word with the glitter.**


2. Student traces word with glue (teacher may need to assist with this part).

3. Teacher pours glitter over the word. Once it is dry, hang up the word in a place your student can see it frequently and eventually take home.

 You could also try a glitter pen or multi colored glitter.

Have fun practicing sight words with your student!