The foundation for successful reading is built in the preschool years through key skills called phonological awareness. These skills help a child notice and work with the sounds that make up words, and they are crucial for learning to sound out and spell words. If you want to prepare your preschooler for reading, the good news is that these skills are easy and fun to practice at home, and many need no prep or materials at all.
How to Prepare Your Preschooler for Reading With Phonological Awareness
Phonological awareness is a broad set of skills that includes recognizing and working with parts of spoken language. The International Dyslexia Association links weaknesses in this area to dyslexia. Here are some of the most important skills to teach your preschooler, as well as fun ways to practice at home.
Rhyme
Read rhyming books and sing rhyming songs together. Then point out words that do and don’t rhyme, and talk about how rhyming words sound the same at the end.
- Rhyme identification: “Do ____ and ____ rhyme?”
- Rhyme production: “What’s a word that rhymes with ____?”
You don’t need any materials to practice rhymes, so it’s a great game for the grocery store, a walk, or a car ride. Find something around you and start a rhyming game: “I see a tree. Do tree and bee rhyme?” or “I see a tree. Let’s think of a word that rhymes with tree!”
Breaking Words Into Syllables
- Clap once for each syllable in a word.
- Smash a ball of Play-Doh for each syllable in a word.
- Draw circles on the driveway and hop to a new circle for each syllable.
Blending Syllables Into Words
For example, try asking, “What word do these sounds make? Cow… boy = cowboy!” This one also needs no materials, so it works well at the store or in the car.
Alliteration
Sing songs and read books with alliteration, and talk about how you hear the same sound at the start of each word. Ask your child, “What sound do you hear at the beginning of each word?”
- Song ideas: Peter Piper, Green Grass Grew All Around.
- Book idea: Dr. Seuss’s ABC.
Also, you can make up a silly song or poem with words that start with the same sound, or take turns thinking of words that begin with the same sound using things you see. For example, “I see a ball. Ball starts with ‘b.’ What other words start with the ‘b’ sound?”
Prepare Your Preschooler for Reading With Letter Sounds
Knowing the alphabet is one of the most basic skills a child needs to become a confident reader. Most parents would say their child knows their ABCs. However, can your child name each letter, uppercase and lowercase? And, most importantly, do they know the sound each letter makes?
Many children enter kindergarten without letter-sound knowledge, which puts them at a disadvantage when learning to read. In fact, letter-sound knowledge is necessary for sounding out words. For example, if a child doesn’t know that “B” says /b/, how will they sound out the word “bat”? Parents often stop teaching the alphabet once their child can sing the ABC song and name the letters, but it is just as important, if not more, that children learn the sounds.
How to Practice Letter Sounds
Try to use lowercase letters, since your child will see lowercase letters most often when reading. Helpful materials include alphabet magnets, flashcards, or sidewalk chalk for writing letters on the driveway. Here are some ways to practice:
- Identify by name: “Find the letter ____.”
- Identify by sound: “Find the letter that says ____.” Be careful not to add “uh” after the sound. For example, “M” says “mmm,” not “muh.”
- Name the letter: “What is this letter’s name?”
- State the sound: “What sound does this letter make?”
- Use games and puzzles: alphabet puzzles, magnets, and interactive alphabet toys can make practice feel like play. Have your child say the letter and its sound before earning the next puzzle piece.
Apps can help, too, so look for ones that practice letter sounds and speed of letter recognition, and that show you which letters your child missed so you know what to review.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start to prepare my preschooler for reading?
Many children begin to recognize letters and make letter-sound connections between ages 3 and 4. First, you can start with rhymes, songs, and the letters in your child’s name, and then add more sounds over time.
How much practice does my preschooler need each day?
Short and playful is best, because five to ten minutes of games in the car or at the store is plenty, since fun matters more than length.
When should I worry about my child’s early reading skills?
If your child can’t rhyme, struggles to learn letter sounds, or has trouble hearing the sounds in words by kindergarten, then a screening can help you decide whether more support makes sense. Early help is most effective.
How ETLC Can Help
If you want help to prepare your preschooler for reading, our speech-language specialists work with children of all ages to support successful communication growth. Also, we work one-on-one with your child to assess their needs and build a plan. Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center has locations in Johnston and North Liberty, IA, with virtual services also available.
Learn more about speech-language therapy at ETLC or schedule a free consultation to talk with a member of our team.
You may also find these pages helpful:
- Phonological Awareness Hierarchy
- Phonological Awareness by Grade Level
- Is My Child Ready for Preschool or Kindergarten?
About the Author
Sonia Strueby, M.A., CCC-SLP, is the founder of Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center. With over 25 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist, Sonia has dedicated her career to helping children overcome complex communication and academic challenges. She has advanced training and a special focus on treating dyslexia and childhood apraxia of speech, and she is passionate about providing families with a clear path to success.
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