Activities & Games
Here are games and activities to share with young children that will help reinforce letter sounds. Please review the Readiness section to make certain that your child is truly prepared for these interactive activities. Below are a few points to remember.
No Competition
Avoid competition in games with young children. The object of these games and activities is not for some one to win, but for everyone to participate and learn.
Say the Sounds
In all of the activities, refer to the sounds of the letters as they are used in Abadaba Alphabet -- not the letter names.
Order
In many games with children, how items are arranged can reinforce future learning. As many activities with children take place while sitting on the floor, you might wish to purchase a bathroom mat in a pastel color with a rubber backing, and save this exclusively for games and activities. (Show your child how to roll up the mat and keep it in a specific place.) In playing games, whether you use the mat or sit at a table, have the child place the items from left to right and top to bottom. This is the order used in reading and writing, and by having the child become accustomed to this arrangement, you are also reinforcing the order required later on in reading and writing.
The Dot
Another way to help reinforce left-right order is the dot. From colored paper or cardboard, cut a black circle approximately three inches in diameter. Place this black dot in the upper left-hand corner of the table or mat. This indicates where the child should begin. If she wishes to write on paper, draw a black dot in the upper left-hand corner of the paper. If she is drawing a picture, where she begins is her own choice -- no dot.
Rhyming
Helping your child learn nursery rhymes is a wonderful way to introduce similarities in sound. And the more, the better. Encourage him to provide the rhyming word by reciting a poem and stopping just before the final rhyming word, e.g, "... everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to _______." In the car, on walks, or wherever there is an opportunity, encourage your child to rhyme by first responding to words he says. For example, if he says, "I see a stop light," you respond, "Light, bright. Light, night." Often children will then follow up with a rhyme of their own. "Light, bite. Light, kite." Children also enjoy thinking of rhymes for their own names or ages.
Textured Letters and Clay
Textured letters take advantage of the child's tactile ability, making it possible for him to not only see the letter and hear its sound, but also to feel its shape. Textured letters can be made from fine sandpaper, coarse fabric or other materials that have a definite grain or pattern that can be felt with the fingertips, such as varieties of imitation leather sold in fabric shops.
To make textured letters, obtain heavy card stock in two colors. Montessori schools use red backing for consonants and blue for vowels. Cut the cards into 5- or 6-inch squares. Use the Comic Sans computer font matching the letters in Abadaba, or simply copy the shape if you do not have access to this font. Make the letters approximately 4-4 1/2 inches in height and 1/2 inch wide.
To begin introducing sounds, choose two letters at a time, making sure they look very different from one another, e.g., b and s. Sitting next to your child, say, "This is b," using the sound described in the book and on the CD. Using your index and middle fingers held tightly together, trace the letter, top to bottom, left to right, repeating the sound as you trace with your fingers. "Now it's your turn." Help your child perform the same exercise, encouraging him to repeat the tracing several times. Do the same with the second letter.
Place the two letter cards in front of your child. "Which is b? Where is s?" The child points to the correct letter. (If he doesn't, repeat the tracing exercise with the textured letters.) Now switch places with the cards. "Now where is s?" "And b?" Move the cards around in various configurations, side-by-side, one above or below the other, asking the child to select the letter sound asked for. Repeat a number of times.
Remove the cards. Now place only one card in front of your child. "What is this?" Repeat with the second card. If he responds with the correct sounds, be sure to give him a positive response -- "You know b and s!"
The advantage of this approach (The Three Period Lesson) is that during the initial phases of the activity, you are giving the child the information, as you first tell him what the letter sounds are and, second, move them around and ask him to point to the correct letter. It is only in the last phase of the activity that you ask the child to provide the letter sound himself. This is an excellent approach to learning specific information of many kinds.
Making letters out of clay is another way to use the sense of touch. Most children enjoy working with clay, and helping them create the letters as they move along, and encouraging them to repeat the sounds reinforces learning. They also enjoy having a special place designated to display their handiwork.
Mystery Bag
The Mystery Bag is a staple of many preschool classes and can be used in a variety of ways. There are a number of items that can be used to make a mystery bag, such as a small pillowcase, but having a cloth bag approximately 16 x 16 inches with a drawstring is a good choice. Here are some games you can play with the mystery bag which can include more than one child.
Common objects. Collect 10-12 common objects from around the house, e.g., spoon, pencil, tape, familiar toy, cup, etc. Sit down with your child on the floor beside the mat, or at a table. Ask her to place her hand inside the bag and, without looking, tell you what it is. She withdraws her hand with the object and determines if she was correct. Using the dot, ask her to place the objects in a line going either left to right or top to bottom. This accustoms her to the mystery bag and how to use it.
Common objects and beginning sounds. When the child retrieves the recognized item from the mystery bag, ask him to say the beginning sound.
Common objects and ending sounds. Same as above, but ask her to say the ending sound.
Common objects, sounds and letters. Make letter cards for each of the objects in the mystery bag. Once all of the objects have been identified and ordered on the table or mat, hand the child the letters one at a time and ask him to place the letter to the right of the object beginning with that sound.
Letters and "The Thing Game." Once your child has mastered a number of letters, place in the mystery bag small cards with a single letter written on them. As he pulls out a card, say, "Bring me a thing that begins with this sound." He brings the item to the mat or table, placing it either below or to the right of the letter card.