A quick break from all these over-the-top weddings and jammed-pack social calendar I had for August. Ha!
Last June, Chloe started preschool and our day-to-day activities consist of tidying up writings on the wall, washing only one pair of uniform, constant nagging while organizing books or coloring pens scattered on the floor, looking for the other pair of socks and our most favorite part - practicing our writing and reading skills.
Gone are the days of sleeping in past 10pm and just lying on the bed watching toy reviews on YouTube while mommy updates her social media posts and stories. Gone are the weekends spend in the park or just playing in the mall while mommy does her shopping. Too much happening for the past 3 months (mostly school related) and the rainy weather, to say it bluntly, is not encouraging. Thankfully, we made plans for the beach on the 21st to relax and make up for the lost family time. This lightens the vibes a little bit.
However, going to school will also mean new stories and adventures to talk about non-stop on the dinner table. Chloe is so happy with new friendship and learning she discovers within the four walls of her classroom making her more expressive and communicative. And to support her current love for school moment we've organized our room to fit her mood: we made her own study table, put on more bookshelves and reading materials to her heart content, and decorated her wall with her favorite verse:
Matthew 7:7
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
So how to get your kids in the mood for reading?
I've teamed up with readwithfonics.com to share some simple tips to put your kids in the right spirit of reading.
Readwithfonics.com is a website and an app teaching kids all the phonics sound in fun and interactive way through a series of 7 to 8 games that get progressively harder each time. The best phonics instructions for preschoolers who are still learning to decode letters with simple words. They need to differentiate various sounds all the letters make to start with. Preschoolers are drawn to repetitive sounds and materials read to them over and over again. And what I love about Read with Fonics, it lessens boredom with learning as games are split into four worlds for kids to explore plus an active and cheerful, Albee the Alien, makes learning so much fun - always encouraging and cheering them up every step of the way.
Choose reading materials with many pictures.
These common picture books will never go out of style. Most of the time, children of the same age as Chloe are not really into this reading stage where they identify words but only look at the pictures and pretend to say the words. Which I believe is also helpful for expanding their vocabularies and would be easier for them to identify words. Although they know that letters under the picture often stand for words or names of the given picture.
Let them pick what books or app to read.
Do you have any childhood favorite book? Chloe is now on the stage where every time I told her it’s reading time, she keeps picking up this pop-up book she can manipulate by herself. And it’s an instant favorite of her as she can remember the words by heart. I don’t know but there’s something about books with special sounds, pop-up or squeaky books that most preschoolers are drawn into. Never mind if we’ve read the books for the nth times, what matters is that she develops this love for reading.
Have fun while reading.
But most importantly, have fun and keep a sane head when dealing with stubborn little readers. Stop once in a while and take this opportunity to tell stories to your child – how your day was or how your parents used to read books or tell bedtime stories with you. Kids will eager to lend their ears when it comes to short classic stories.
Goodnight moon, goodnight pillows.
Overall, our reading progress is slow and steady. But, the month ends on a far better note.
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