The sounds, words, songs, rhymes, and illustrations children are exposed to influence the ways they speak and communicate. This is why an environment rich in writing, letters, and vocabulary offers them the opportunity to develop strong language skills.
Lillio Learning for Preschool Classrooms, for ages 3-5, becomes part of building a print-rich environment by including Alphabet Word Cards as part of your monthly kit. The cards show the letters that will be taught that month, accompanied by illustrations. Each month the letters taught are different, but the purpose behind the cards is the same: to help children acquire vocabulary, learn new letters and their sounds, encourage repetition, and familiarize children with and help them become comfortable with using new words.
Benefits of Using Word Cards in Your Setting
Studies confirm that a classroom rich in literature results in children with an optimal level of language development, communication, and reading comprehension. A print-rich environment makes children feel comfortable speaking, repeating words, and learning new words, as it gives them the ability to better understand songs, rhymes, and riddles.
Cues for Including Word Cards in Your Daily Routine
- Gather the word cards to create a "word album." You can label it, and add it to your classroom library for children to browse freely.
- Play a game called "I say, you say." Show a word card and say the word, emphasizing the initial letter sound: "Apple, /a/, apple." Have children repeat after you. Then, invite them come up with a word (real or nonsense) that has the same initial sound.
- Write the Alphabet Word Card words on sticky notes. Encourage children to match the sticky notes with the cards.
- When children attempt to write on their own, invite them to reference the Alphabet Word Cards to learn letter formation and begin associating letters with their sounds.