Your participation in home activities can serve to reinforce the skills your child learns at school.

• You can help by building your child's speaking vocabulary, and talking about words, sounds, and letters.

• Help your child understand that words represent ideas and objects, that words are spelled with letters, and the letters stand for certain sounds.

• As you say words that represent objects around the house or in the car, have your child listen to the sounds. Ask what sounds are heard at the beginning, middle, or end of particular words.

• Say several words that begin with the same sound and one that does not, then have your child identify the word that begins with a different sound.

You can also reinforce spelling skills by encouraging an interest in learning to write.

• Read to your child to show the use of written words.
• Write down stories your child tells you, and then read them aloud.