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While language is naturally absorbed by children below three just from their environment, there are many pre-reading activities we can do with them to develop a love for reading and prepare them for the actual task.

The only language men ever speak perfectly is the one they learn in babyhood, when no one can teach them anything!

~ Maria Montessori

BOOKS, BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS

Reading books with our children is the very first step in language development, verbal skills and cultivating a love for reading. Books open up new worlds for our children and expose them to vocabulary not normally heard in everyday conversations. It is also a great bonding activity for parents and children to enjoy together, right from when they are babies.

Our list of favourite books is so extensive that it will have its own post, but here are a few of our ultimate favourites to get you started.

SOUND GAMES

The Montessori approach of learning to read and write follows the phonetic system. This system demonstrates the relationship between the sounds of the spoken language and the letters, groups of letters or syllables of the written language.

By learning to identify the sounds in language and connect them to written symbols, children can learn to read and spell concurrently. Writing is a skill that can be developed alongside, or even later when sufficient fine motor skill proficiency has been achieved.

Sound games are an excellent and fun way to develop observation skills, vocabulary, phonemic awareness and readiness for reading.

I Spy games will help make your child aware of the sounds that make up words. This game is used with kids ranging between two and six years old, with varying levels depending on their abilities.

Level 1: Colours

This level does not focus entirely on sounds but is a great introduction to the I Spy games for toddlers.

Objectives

• To help your child distinguish familiar objects by colour.

• To encourage your child to listen to instructions and respond accordingly.

Setup

Collect a few objects of varying colours and put them on a table in front of you. These can be the same object in different colours to start with e.g. Lego pieces in different colours.

Instructions

Look at the objects in front of you and say
‘I spy with my little eye something red in colour’.

Look at each object and finally pick up the red one and show it to your child.

Next, it is your child’s turn to identify the object by its colour.
’I spy with my little eye something blue in colour’.

Give your child a moment to look at the objects on the table and hand you the blue object, e.g. blue crayon. Confirm it is the right colour and say the name of the object out loud ‘blue crayon’.

Keep going with different colours until all the objects have been identified.

Your child will quickly grasp the rules of the game and happily identify the objects by their colours. He might even want to say the colour of the object and identify it himself.

Variations

1. Once your child is proficient at I Spy, turn the same game into a scavenger hunt. Say a colour and ask your child to bring you an object of that colour from anywhere in his environment.

2. This game can even be played while on the go, by simply identifying objects of a particular colour in his surroundings e.g. green tree, blue sky, red car.

Level 2: Initial Sounds

Once colours have been mastered, and your child is beginning to show an interest in letters and sounds, you can start demonstrating initial sounds. This can be done with children age 2.5 and up.

Objective

To help your child to hear the first or initial sounds of words

Setup

Collect a few objects that your child knows the names of and put them on a table in front of you. To start with, avoid objects with similar initial sounds like ‘b’ and ‘p’ or ‘w’ and ‘v’.

Our language objects are from TTS Sound and Phonics Tubs and from the Safari Ltd Toobs available on Amazon. A few examples are listed below, but Toobs are available in many different categories.

Instructions

Pick up each object from the table, one at a time, and name it to remind your child. Place emphasis on the initial sound when you say the word e.g. ‘c c car’, ‘b b ball’, ‘e e elephant’.

Choose one of the objects from the table e.g. a car and show it to your child.

‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with “c” ’.

Your child will say ‘car’. Repeat it to confirm that your child is right. ‘Yes, c is for car’.

Next, give your child a turn to identify the object beginning with the sound you asked for.

‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with “b”. Can you find it for me?

Variations

1. To make it a little more challenging, this game can be turned into a scavenger hunt.
   ‘I’m looking for an object beginning with the sound “c”. Can you find me something beginning with “c”?’ Give your child a few minutes to look around his environment and find an object with that initial sound. If he needs help, direct him to where he might find it, for example ‘Perhaps you could look on your shelf’.

2. This game can also be played while on the go, by simply identifying objects in his surroundings beginning with a particular sound e.g. ‘t for tree’, ‘c for cat’.

3. A mystery bag or treasure basket is a great way to isolate a particular initial sound. For children just learning to identify initial sounds, this could be a good way to start. Simply get a drawstring cloth bag or a wicker basket and place in it various objects beginning with the same initial sound. Have your child name each object and confirm he is correct by repeating the word and placing emphasis on its initial sound e.g. ‘Yes, that is a “d d dog” ’.

Level 3: Differentiating Between Initial Sounds

Objective

To encourage your child to distinguish one initial sound from another.

Setup

Same as level 2. As your child gets more proficient, the objects can have similar initial sounds.

Instructions

Place two objects on the table in front of you, each with different initial sounds e.g. bus and rug.

‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with “r” ’.

Your child will need to make a choice between the two objects, and this will show you how well he can distinguish between the sounds. Keep changing the objects, but only have two in front of them at any point in time.

Variations

To make this game more challenging, increase the number of objects that your child has to choose from to three and then five. As he gets more proficient, the objects can begin with similar sounds e.g. ball, dog, pig.

Level 4: Ending Sounds

The next step, once your child is familiar with initial sounds, is to help him to listen out for sounds other than initial sounds.

Setup

Collect a few objects with different ending sounds that your child knows the names of and put them on a table in front of you. To start with, choose all objects with the same initial sound e.g. ball, basket, book or mat, mug, mirror.

Objective

To develop your child’s awareness of sounds in words besides initial sounds.

Instructions

‘I spy with my little eye something that begins with “b” and ends with “t” ’.

Initially, your child may take some time to identify the ending sound. If he picks the wrong object, encourage him by saying ‘Yes, book does begin with “b” but I asked for something that begins with “b” and ends with “t” ’. If he still struggles, name all the objects with him, placing emphasis on the last sound e.g. ‘book k k’.

MATCHING GAMES

Matching games may not, initially, seem to have much to do with language development. Upon closer inspection, you will see that they encourage visual discrimination, which builds the foundation for reading.

By starting with object-to-object matching, then proceeding to object-to-picture matching and eventually object-to-initial-sounds, children are led from the concrete (objects) to the abstract (letter symbols).

Objectives

• To develop visual discrimination between objects, pictures and eventually alphabets.

• To provide the vocabulary for various objects.

• To understand varying degrees of abstraction which is essential for reading.

Level 1: Object to Object Matching

This can be introduced to toddlers as young as twelve months, or whenever they show more interest in looking at or playing with objects than putting them in their mouths.

Setup

Gather two sets of similar objects and place each set in a basket or tray. These could be matchbox cars, animals, seashells, or any household objects.

Instructions

Line up the first set of objects and name them one by one from left to right. Next, pull out an object from the second basket, name it and place it next to the corresponding object from the first set. Once you have modelled the entire set, it is your child’s turn. They may not line the objects up the way you do initially, and that is perfectly normal.

Level 2: Object-to-Picture Matching

The next stage is to introduce object-to-picture matching, which is slightly more abstract.

Setup

Gather a set of objects and corresponding picture cards and place them in a two-part tray on two separate trays. Start with three to five objects, so that they are not overwhelmed.

Instructions

Line up the picture cards and name the object in each picture. Next, pick up one object from the tray, name it and place it on its corresponding picture card. Once you have modelled the entire set, it is your child’s turn to do so.

In the picture above, Ryaan is matching Schleich animals to some animal picture cards I found. We love Schleich animals because of their excellent quality and their accurate portrayal.

Level 3: Picture to Picture Matching

This stage does not involve any objects, so it needs to be introduced when the desired level of abstraction has been attained.

Setup

Gather two sets of identical picture cards and place each set in a tray or place both sets on either side of a two-part tray.

Instructions

Line up the first set of picture cards and name the object in each picture. Next, pick one card from the second set and place it below the corresponding card from the first set. Model the entire set once and then give your child a chance to do the activity himself.

Level 4: Object to Initial Sound

This stage should only be introduced after your child has been introduced to sandpaper letters or any kind of tactile letters, and has mastered levels 2 and 3 of the I Spy games.

We were lucky enough to be lent the sandpaper letters from a friend, but if you do not have them, the book below is a great alternative. It has textured letters which can be used in the same way as sandpaper letters. Read more about sandpaper letters here.

Setup

Gather objects beginning with various initial sounds and place them in a small basket or tray. Collect the corresponding sandpaper letters from those initial sounds and place them in another tray.

Instructions

Empty all the objects out onto the centre of the table, and if your child is unfamiliar with any of them, name each object one by one, placing emphasis on the initial sound. Next, pick up a sandpaper letter and say the sound out ‘c c c’. Then look for an object from the table and name it, e.g. ‘ “c” is for cat’. Let your child pick the next sound and look for an object that begins with it. Keep going until all the objects have been matched to sandpaper letters.

THE CLUE GAME

When your child is familiar with initial sounds, this is a fun game to play that makes them feel like they’re already reading.

Objective

Excite your child about reading and help him to ‘read’ words based on their initial sounds.

Setup

Gather 3-5 objects and place them into a small box with a lid. To begin with, choose objects with different initial sounds. Once mastered, you can use objects with the same initial sounds but different ending sounds. In the box, include some strips of blank paper, a pair of scissors and a pencil.

Instructions

Open the box and empty the contents onto the table. Place the objects in the centre and keep the strips of paper, scissors and pencil close to you.

‘I am thinking of an object. Do you know what it is? Can you guess?’

When your child looks confused or says he doesn’t know which object you’re thinking of, say ‘Shall I give you a clue?’

Pick a strip of paper and write out the name of the object, obscuring the word with your hands as though it is a big secret. Then fold the paper twice until the word can’t be seen and hand the ‘clue’ to your child. Have them open it and read the first sound of the word and then guess which item you are thinking of ‘You guessed it. I was thinking of “b b ball” ’. Keep going until your child has guessed all the objects in the box based on your clues.

RHYMING GAME

The English language has lots of sounds and patterns, and when your child is aware of and able to listen out for them, he will do well at reading and have a good sense of how to spell words. Do not underestimate the importance of poems, songs and nursery rhymes in helping your child to read and write.

Objective

Developing your child’s ability to listen out for words that sound the same, specifically those that rhyme, is an essential skill for reading.

Setup

Collect 3-5 pairs of rhyming objects and place them in two baskets. One object from each pair should go into the first basket and the second object in the second basket.

Instructions

Empty the first basket of objects onto the table and line them up on the left side of the table. Review the name of each object. Empty the second basket of objects at random on the table. Pick one object from the second set and place it next to the first object on the left and name them. ‘Dog-Ant, those don’t rhyme’. Then proceed down the line until you find the rhyming pair and sing the rhyming song ‘Dog-Frog, those two rhyme. They sound the same at the end. Whoo’! Pick the next object on the table and repeat the process. Keep going until all the rhyming pairs have been matched.

Variation

You can also play this as an I Spy game. Instead of spying things that begin with a sound, you find things that rhyme with a word.

‘I spy with my little eye something that sounds like cat’. The answer may be ‘mat’ or ‘rat’. Keep going until you have exhausted all the rhyming words you can think of.