Bannockburn Nursery School

Montgomery County Public Schools has released this guide to help parents work together with their preschool children in preparation for kindergarten. These educational techniques provide a foundation for pre-reading and writing. 

Letter Identification:

• Sing the alphabet song with your child.
• Play games using the alphabet. For example: I spy something that begins with the letter "m."
• With your child sitting next to you, print the letters of your child’s name on paper and say each letter as you write it.
• Help your child to spell and write his/her name. At first, he/she may use just a few letters. For example, Jenny might use the letters JNY. That is okay.
• With your child, make a name sign for your child’s room.
• Point out individual letters in signs, posters, food containers like cereal boxes, menus, posters, magazines, etc.
• Read ABC books with your child.
• Give your child a page from a magazine. Circle a letter on the page and have him/her circle matching letters.
• Watch TV shows with your child, such as, “Between the Lions”, Blue Clues”, and “Sesame Street” that feature letter learning activities for young children.
• Let your child sort letter magnets or letter cards. Ask your child to name the letters.

Phonics:

• Look at pictures or objects. Ask your child to say the sound the picture or object begins with.  Have your child find another picture or object that begins with the same sound.
• As you read a story or poem, ask your child to listen for and say words that begin with the same sound. Then have him/her think of and say another word that begins with the same sound.
• Write letters on pieces of paper and put them in a paper bag. Have your child pull out a paper from the bag and say the name of the letter and the sound that it represents. Then have him/her say a word that begins with the same sound.
• Cut pictures from magazines or draw pictures to help your child make his/her own alphabet book.
• Let your child have fun writing the alphabet letters, his/her name, and stories. Let your child share his/her writing. Praise your child’s effort to write.

Word Recgonition:

• Place alphabet magnets on your refrigerator. Encourage your child to make simple words. For example: cat, dog, mom, dad.
• Read books with your child and point out common words. For example: the, I go, a, and, see, like, me, you.