Because we as adults have been reading for so many years, we take many reading skills for granted. To us reading is almost involuntary. Two skills that beginning readers must learn are left to right tracking and sentence phrasing.
These skills can be learned through a fun tactile activity.
- Have your child hold her left arm bent at the elbow in front of her body.
- Have her take her right hand starting at the inside crook of the left elbow and bounce the right hand in small ‘hops’ from the left elbow down to the left hand.
- Now add a song such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and phrase the song lifting the right hand high in the air at the end of each phrase, jumping back to the crook of the elbow to start the new phrase.
- Row, row, row your boat (back)
- Gently down the stream (back)
- Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily (back)
- Life is but a dream.
- Now use a pre-made book, or write out a text for your child in four phrases and have the child look at the words while tracking the phrases on her arm.
This activity can be done with any of your child’s favorite songs or books, but training your child to understand phrases and left to right tracking will certainly give her a head start in reading. Besides it’s a lot more creative, and more fun and action filled than worksheets. Again you’re reinforcing learning with movement and music.
Who knows? You might even stimulate your own endorphins -- cheaper than Starbucks, less calories than Snickers!
This is the School Marm,
Ringing her bell.
School’s out!
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