Structured Literacy
The science of reading teaches children to read through skills like phonics, decoding, and language comprehension. In a structured literacy approach, children are taught skills like sounds, letters, and word patterns in a clear, step-by-step way. This helps young readers build strong, lasting reading skills instead of guessing words.
Activities for Families
Use Manipulatives to Build Phonemic Awareness
Say a simple word and have your child tap a finger for each sound they hear. Using multisensory techniques, such as tracing the letter pattern on textured surfaces or using hand gestures for vowel sounds engage visual, auditory, and tactile learning and help reinforce letter–sound relationships (Warren, 2021) and (Law, 2023).
For Multilingual Families:
You can do these activities in your home language, too. Talking about sounds and words in any language helps build strong reading skills. If possible, connect sounds between languages (for example, noticing similar letters or sounds).
Using Decodable Books
As a family, you can systematically select decodable books that interest your child. This gives students a “chance to practice matching up letter-sound relationships and builds a habit of analyzing the letters and sounds to read unfamiliar words” (Reading Rockets, n.d.). It can also help to practice skills learned in the classroom at home in a more comfortable setting,
For Busy Families or Limited Time:
Even 5 minutes helps! Read just one page or a few lines each day. Short, consistent practice is more effective than long sessions.
For Multilingual Families:
Talk about the story in your home language before or after reading. This helps your child understand the meaning while they practice reading in English.
Extra Tips:
Use simple books that match the sounds your child is learning. Help your child sound out tricky words instead of guessing.
Try reading the same book a few times to build confidence and smoother reading.
Sound Detective Game
Turn your child into a “sound detective”!
Pick a sound (like /m/) and have your child find things around the house that start (or end) with that sound—milk, mug, mirror. This helps your child build their phonemic and phonological awareness.
