Level 1: Seeing Sounds

Rhythm & Rhyme

Level 1 Activities help a child develop an “ear” for the spoken language. When surrounded with oral talk, the hearing, identifying , and matching similar word patterns flourishes. This is the foundational building block for reading.

Early Literacy Foundational Skills

• Sound (Phoneme) Matching

  • listen & detect similar sounds at the beginning (onset) of a word

  • listen & detect similar sounds at the ending (rime) of a word

• Syllable Counting

  • listen, detect, & count syllables (beats) within a word

• Word Counting

  • listen, detect, & count words in a sentence or phrase

Seeing Sounds

GOAL: sound matching

Materials:

• mirror

Directions:

1. Look into the mirror. Say words and have your child repeat them as they look in the mirror. Point out teeth, tongue, and mouth positions as they say different letters.

2. Ask the child to place their hand in front of their mouth as they speak, feeling the air expel.

3. Say each letter of the word, placing their hand on their chin to feel the mouth positions.

HELPFUL TIPS:

• Always model first until the child is comfortable with this activity.

• Begin with one-syllable words