Welcome back to Read Not Guess. Today we’re going to work on the letters “A” and “T.”
Remember that we’re going to focus on the sounds the letters make. Both parent and child will need to be able to see the screen.
Ok, let’s get started.
Today’s Letter Sounds
First we’re going to learn the letter "A." For now, we’re going to focus on the soft “a” sound as in “apple.”
Ask your child to make the “a” sound 3 times as they point to the letters:
a a a
Ask your child if they can think of any words that have the “a” sound. If they need help, the words apple, ant, and ambulance all start with the “a” sound.
Have them say the “a” sound 3 more times as they point to the letters:
a a a
Now we’re going to learn the letter "T." Like with the "p" sound yesterday, try to say the "t" sound with just a quick puff of air.
Make the “t” sound quickly, as in "top" or "cat."
Ask your child to make a short “t” sound 3 times as they point to the letters:
t t t
Ask your child if they can think of any words with the “t" sound. If they need help, the words toy, tiger, and train all start with the “t” sound.
Have them say the short “t” sound 3 more times as they point to the letters:
t t t
Word Practice
Now we’re going to work on “blending” letter sounds into words. Your child can start slowly by saying each sound individually, but each time, they should try to say it just a bit faster. Ask your child to say the correct sounds as they point to the letters:
a t a t at
By the end, make sure your child is reading the word "at" (and not extending it to "ah-tuh"). Let’s do a couple more:
p a t p at pat
And:
t a p t ap tap
By the end, check to make sure your child is reading the word as "tap." If they're still going slowly over each syllable (or saying "tuh-aaa-puh"), have them keep practicing until they can read it cleanly and correctly.
Overnight Challenge
Ask your child to find 3 things in your house that start with the “t” sound. After that, see if they can name 3 things that end with the “t” sound.
That’s it for today. We’ll see you Friday, ~Chad