Help Your Child Learn High-Frequency Words

Is your kindergartener having trouble learning to read? Do you want to give your preschooler a head start to reading before even entering school? Follow these simple steps and you can help your child learn to read and develop a love for reading.

There are two kinds of words: Ones that you can't sound out (referred to as high frequency words) and Ones that you can sound out.

Items to purchase: whiteboard and whiteboard markers (kids love writing on whiteboards), magnetic letters, crayons, paper, magnetic board (or refrigerator will work fine)

At the beginning of the week pick 5 high frequency words to study for the week. Search "first 100 high frequency words" on the Internet to find words. Each week write five high-frequency words on one paper. Use a different color for each word. Tell your child that these are special words that can not be sounded out and need to be memorized. Practice reading these words with your child everyday, several times a day. Put the paper in a location in the house that your child frequently passes such as the bathroom door, near the TV, hallway, etc.

Activities for your child to do with these high frequency words:

Rainbow writing - This is where your child writes the word in one color. Then he/she traces the word in a different color. Continue doing this and create a rainbow with the word.

Spell, clap, cheer - Give me an H. (Child claps and says, "H.") Give me an E. Give me an R. Give me a E. What does that spell? (Child shouts, "Here.")

Write word on whiteboard - It seems that everything is more fun when using a whiteboard. Have your child practice the word on the whiteboard several times.

Magnetic letters - Put the letters needed to spell the five words on the fridge and have your child make the words each day.

Practice, practice, practice - Have your child read these words many times during the day. Make it a game. "You can have a cookie if you can read one of the words, you can go outside if you read all the words, etc"

After your child learns these words put them on a large chart paper in your child's room. One fun way to motivate them is by creating a poster with a race track. Draw a race track and make street signs counting by 5's to 100. Every time your child learns 5 words they get to move their race car to the next sign on the track. If your child loves flowers you could do this same concept with flowers. Make a picture with 20 flowers each with numbers to 100 counting by fives. Your child could make a small butterfly and each time she learns 5 words her butterfly could fly to the next flower.

Learning to read can be fun and very rewarding.