Knowing letter names, sounds and their shapes and the ability to remember that words are a sequence of letters is strongly related to a child's success in reading. But what happens when a child has difficulty grasping the concept that each letter has a different sound and shape?
Some children need a different approach to learning. Above all it needs to be fun. Learning through play, observation and exploration can help some children make sense of learning to read. Reading to them and using multi sensory activities, art, cooking and eating the alphabet, moving your body to make letters, going on a letter hunt are some ways to help struggling learners.
This term I am in a reception class that has a play based learning area set up for the children to use when they have finished working with the teacher. The activities are changed every week and include writing, reading and doing multi sensory activities in a fun way. Although it may be play based, I have already observed a lot of informal learning takes place. The teacher can join in the children's activities to help the children get the most out of the activity without the children realising that they are learning.
As well as usual activities found in a reception class, this week a "school" has been set up and a sensory table using pipe cleaners to make letters following the shapes on large letter cards. It will be interesting to observe and participate in their play to see what learning is taking place.
Each child has been tested on alphabet knowledge on entry to school (the name of the letter, sound or a word beginning with that letter). I have used this information to choose a group that needs extra help and will make time to sit in on some of their play to observe how they use the equipment and to track their learning.
