Tips for Parents or Having Fun with Language Helps Create Readers!

1. Read to children from a very young age - it's never too soon to start!
2. Talk to children about everything they see. Encourage them to respond. Again, it's never too soon to start!
3. Sing to children. It's fun and helps them learn sounds and patterns
4. Tell stories to children and have them tell stories to you!
5. Make learning new words and reading skills fun with guessing games, such as "I Spy;" remember, word games can be played while waiting in line, on buses or on long car trips
6. Take books with you! You can teach and practice new reading skills anytime and anywhere
7. Play with words. Find patterns in rhyming words like cat and bat, bar and car
8. Encourage children to read to you to show what they've learned
9. Discover words and sounds all around you, from the stop sign at the corner to the signs and labels in the grocery store
10. Use everyday activities like writing a shopping list and looking around your neighborhood for words and letters to demonstrate how words kids know are used. Show children why knowing how to read is fun and important

--Maria Salvadore, children's literature consultant for Reading Rockets.com, PBS's Ready to Learn project, the Kennedy Center's Education Department, Reading Is Fundamental, and the Catholic Charities Parenting Program.


PHONICS PARTY
Plan a party featuring A E I O U. Here's everything you'll need to host a phonics party and keep kids entertained.

Things to have handy:

8 ½ x 11 paper	Crayons	Scissors	Tape
Glue	Alphabet Pasta	Paper Cup

GAMES
Scavenger Hunt:

Think of 5 things that the kids have to find using short and long A E I O U sounds. You can use household objects such as cans and cake, mop and donut, and egg and cheese and hide them around the room.

Ask them to go around the room and bring it back, write it down, or shout out when they find it.

As an extra treat, have kids make up a continuing silly story about the objects they found (for example: I opened the door and went inside the house. Next kid: I opened the jar on the table and a genie came out…)

A Round of Vowels:

Kids can pick a vowel out of a hat or just count off A E I O U going around the room.

If possible, divide into 5 groups.

Give kids 3-5 minutes to think of as many words as they can that use the vowel sounds.

Kids can take turns telling their words. Older kids can write them down and read them.

The team with the most words wins.

DECORATIONS
Placemats [ A, E, I, O, U ]
Print out the Vowel Placemats and have kids add words and draw pictures.
[Printing Help]

Party Hats
Print out the party hats Cut, color and decorate.
[Printing Help]

Party Favors
Alphabet Pencil Holders:

What you'll need:
Paper Cup, Glue, Scissors, Paper, Alphabet Pasta, Crayons, Colored Markers or Paint.

Instructions:
1. Cut strips of paper to fit around the cup.
2. Have kids glue Alphabet pasta and decorate the paper.
3. Have them glue the paper to the cup.


FOOD
Party Food

Alphabet Cereal mixed with raisins for snacks

Alphabet Cookies

Ice Cream (kids can draw letters on top with hot fudge, then add sprinkles)

Cake or Cupcakes decorated with Alphabet Candy

Recipe Activity
Ants on a Log:

What you'll need:
Celery sticks, peanut butter, raisins

Instructions:
1. Wash celery and cut it into pieces about 5 inches long.
2. Spread peanut butter in the u-shaped part of the celery, from one end to the other.
3. Press raisins into the peanut butter.

© 2006 Barron's Educational Series, Inc.