For most people, reading is now a natural process that one undertakes on a daily basis. Practically all important information is conveyed in writing, such as driving information on road signs, sale flyers in the supermarket and fine print in contracts. Reading is typically such an ingrained process that many adults (who are not educators) cannot explain how to teach a child how to read. The
. answer is deceptively simple, and in reality sometimes very challenging- through small incremental steps. Another challenge is that reading goes hand-in-hand with writing, and a child must learn how to do both at the same time.When teaching a preschooler or kindergartener the alphabet and each letter's phonetic sound, it is also important to incorporate writing practice early on in the undertaking. Doing this reinforces recognition in both areas and helps the child see the interconnectedness of the two practices.Tracing alphabet block letters are one of the first things that a child uses when learning to write. Flashcards can be printed out or made out of heavy cardstock with block letters, arrows and colored dots to indicate in what order lines should be formed to make the letter. The educator can then take these cards and trace over the letter in glue and allow the glue to dry. This creates a raised surface that the child can feel with their fingers while tracing, which helps when learning stroke patterns for each letter. Focus on just using fingers at this stage, and not writing utensils. Use finger paints as a way to gauge how well the child is forming letters without tracing. This activity also allows for creativity and fun for the learner.After the child has mastered the letters with their fingers, begin incorporating markers, crayons and pencils into the process. Traceable letter paper with both solid and dotted lines act as guides for children and help begin working on regularizing their handwriting. The paper features the letter the child will work on in both solid example form, and several dotted tracing forms to give the child practice before attempting the letter without a pattern. Dotted horizontal lines run in the middle between two solid horizontal lines, and act as an indicator for how tall various aspects of the letter should go. These worksheets are an excellent way to get a child to practice writing and slowly work towards penmanship. Many printable free examples are available on the internet. More reference links: http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/trace.htm http://www.learntoreadfree.com/
