Write On! Three Ways to Teach Your Preschooler That What They Say Can be Written Down

People are motivated to read and write because we know that print contains a message. We also know that anything we say can be put into print. In our third and final post of this series spotlighting different early literacy games to play at home, we will focus on building awareness about speech to print or what we say can be written down. 

Speech to print is the third building block in the journey towards becoming a reader alongside shared book reading and phonological awareness, which we discussed in the previous two blogs of this series, Sharing Stories, Building Brains, and 5 Games for Busy Parents to Help Their Young Children Learn to Read.
 
Here are a few games that will help your little ones master this early literacy skill:  

If You Can Say It, You Can Write It!
Have your child dictate a thank you note, an email or a story to you. Write down exactly what is said, not making any corrections for grammar or pronunciation. Read it back to your child, pointing to each word as you go.

Say What?
Look for books with thought bubbles (like Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems). Cut out your own thought bubbles out of white paper and add them to magazines pictures and family photos. Don’t limit it to people. Trucks, machines, animals and things in nature “say” sounds too. Figure out the spelling together and get ready to giggle.

Stick to It!
Sticky notes make labeling objects around the house quick and easy. You can even label your own bodies.
 
For more Speech to Print activities you can do with your children in the home, please visit our Building Blocks for Literacy® site and download an activity guide or check out our free online program.