Here’s an idea that won’t drive you batty, (pardon the pun). What rhymes with bat? Help your child think of lots of words that end just like bat, such as mat, cat, rat, etc. Spell out the ‘at’ part maybe using magnetic fridge letters. Show your child how putting a b in front makes bat; changing to b to an r makes rat. By changing only the first letter, you and your child can make cat, fat, hat, mat, rat, sat, vat, and…even zat. What is a zat? or a wat? How about a lat or jat? Your child may not be ready for figuring out what the letters say, but you will have introduced the idea that some letters stay the same and some change, just like some of the sound parts of words stay the same and some change. Word play is part of kindergarten readiness.
Did you know that rhyming is used as a quick predictor of children’s readiness for reading? It shows children’s phonological awareness–that is, the notion that words are make of sound bits that can be used in various combinations to make new meanings. How’s zat?
