Help your child become aware of letters and words at home and in the community.

Focus on Kindergarten Readiness Indicators

• Recognizes and names letters, especially those in their name or on road signs, storefronts, and restaurant signs
• Shows awareness of familiar buildings and places in the community such as home, school, grocery store, and park
• Understands an increasing number and variety of words for objects, actions, and ways to describe things

Activities by week

WEEK 1

Help your child with name recognition.

• Make a name card for your child. Use an upper-case letter to write the first letter of the name and lower-case letters for the remaining letters. For example, explain that this is how you would write “Chris.” Talk with your child about the names of each letter.
• Display your child’s name card on the refrigerator.
• Invite your child to watch you write labels for personal belongings such as a coat, sweater, and backpack.

WEEK 2

Help your child recognize the letters in their first name.

• Provide a complete set of upper- and lower-case alphabet letter magnets.
• Place the alphabet letter magnets found in your child’s name on the refrigerator or a cookie sheet for your child to play with.
• Encourage your child to arrange the letters in the correct order, using a name card as a guide.
• Hide the alphabet letter magnets that are found in your child’s name. As your child finds a letter, have them name the letter before looking for the next one.
• Place the alphabet letter magnets in a sack or bag. Encourage your child to pull out the letters one at a time and name them.

WEEK 3

Encourage your child to “read” familiar signs.

• Give your child printed materials, such as magazines, grocery store ads, and menus from favorite restaurants to play with.
• Involve your child in making a grocery list using pictures cut from grocery store ads.
• Invite your child to read road signs and business signs with you as you drive.

WEEK 4

Give your child opportunities to recognize and name letters of the alphabet.

• Match letters from your child’s name to signs.
• Read alphabet books with your child and ask them to name familiar letters.
• Read a book and encourage your child to go back and look for a particular letter of the alphabet, such as the b’s found in the story.
• Place the alphabet letter magnets on the refrigerator in order. Have your child touch each letter as you slowly sing the alphabet song.
• Save clean milk jug caps. Write a letter of the alphabet on each cap (both upper and lower case). Practice naming letters and spelling out your child’s name and other family names.

Additional Ideas

Make a set of cards with the names of family members. Use upper- and lower-case letters as you did when writing your child’s name. Mix up the family name cards and encourage your child to find each family member’s name.

These cards can also be used as place cards at the dining table.

Special Activity

Help your child make an “I Can Read” book about their favorite stores and eating places.

Encourage your child to cut out the stores’ and eating places’ names and logos and glue them to paper.

Place these pages in a three-ring binder or staple the pages together. Include extra pages so your child can add additional names.

Help your child write “I Can Read” on the title (cover) page.

Encourage your child to read the book and share it with family members or friends.

Suggested Books to Read with Your Child

A My Name is Alice by Jane Bayer, Steven Kellogg, illustrator

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, Lois Ehlert, illustrator

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book by Muriel Feelings, Tom Feelings, illustrator

Signs in My Neighborhood by Shelly Lyons