Supporting Your Child's Early Word Recognition Skills
The ability to identify letter shapes and their corresponding names and sounds is an important building block of learning how to read words. There is a wide range of simple activities caregivers can do with their children to build these skills. Ten activities to “spark” your child’s development of early literacy skills are included in Lessons 3 and 4 of this eLearning module.
Letter-Sound Spark
The Letter-Sound Spark app supports young readers in learning letter shapes, names, and sounds with two activities:
- Letter-Sound Cards: Each letter card features an embedded visual (like an apple-shaped "a" for the /ă/ sound). Tap any letter to hear its correct pronunciation.
- Letter Match Game: To play this interactive game, listen to the videos describing a letter's name and sound, then tap the matching letter shape until you have successfully identified all 26 letters.
Resources and Activities
10 Activities to Spark Early Literacy
The activities in this booklet are designed to help you support your child’s early reading development in simple, engaging ways.
Want to see how each activity is done? Watch parents complete these activities with their child in the videos below.
Letter-Sound Cards and Videos
Letter-Sound Cards have embedded images that illustrate a key word beginning with the letter sound of each letter. Visit the "Supporting Your Child's Early Word Recognition Skills" eLearning module to learn how to use these cards in a variety of activities.
Hear the pronunciation for each letter sound in our letter-sound videos. Visit the Letter-Sound Spark app for more interactive ways to engage with letter sounds.
Letter-Sound Memory Game
The IRRC Letter-Sound Memory Game includes 26 letter-sound cards and 26 corresponding picture cards. You and your child can take turns flipping over a letter-sound card and a picture card to see if you can find a match.
Letter-Sound Alphabet and Coloring Pages
See the full alphabet of Letter-Sound Cards on one page. Print it out as a reference sheet or a poster.
Young readers can make the Letter-Sound Cards their own with these coloring pages.
Share These Resources
Parent Development Toolkit
This toolkit is a collection of materials designed to support the training of caregivers or educators in evidence-based practices for teaching early literacy skills. The toolkit includes a slide deck with notes and a knowledge assessment.
Flyer
Consider sharing about the Spark Early Literacy Hub with others by printing or distributing this flyer.
Related Blog Posts
Explore the blog posts below to learn more about how caregivers can support their child's early literacy skills!
Supporting Early Literacy Through Everyday Interactions With Dr. Ece Demir-Lira
Dr. Ece Demir-Lira, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Iowa, shares how caregivers can support their children's early literacy development.
Supporting Student Reading Motivation With Dr. Daisy Pelletier
Researcher Daisy Pelletier discusses her recent study on the role of motivation and reading frequency in elementary and secondary school students.