See abc's® Wishes you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year's Eve tonight and a great 2011. As 2010 is quickly slipping into the record books, we can welcome January as a time of renewal and a time for setting goals to help us and our children, or grandchildren to improve. We will be giving you some good goal tips to help your children in their journey of learning how to read.

We know that we need to sit down and set some clear goals for "See abc's LC" to help bring it out of obscurity and get people to know about it. We have a few ideas up our sleeves; we'll see if some of them turn out!

Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Doreese and Sherry

Stocking Stuffer Stickers!

Here we are just four, I said FOUR days away from Christmas! And, if you are in a panic trying to think of those last minute little things you need to finish up, then I have one suggestion.

Fun stickers would be a great stocking stuffer. Children LOVE stickers! At this time of year, there are a lot of Christmas stickers around. Some of my students really are motivated to do their reading just so that they can put a sticker on their chart, moving them closer to getting a reward or prize. But, on the days they haven't done enough to put a sticker on their chart, I let them choose one to put wherever they want; usually it ends up on their clothes or arms or face!

Whether you are using See abc's or not, I suggest you make up some kind of chart for your child to encourage them in taking time to sit down and learn with you.

It will probably be after Christmas before I get time to blog again. I have a fun story to share about a child who just finished the See abc's reading program.

Have a very Merry Christmas filled with love and joy,

Doreese

Happy Holidays from See abc's®

As we kick off this holiday season, we would like you to hop on over to our website and check out the cute holiday banner there. If you got to this blog because you went to the website first, well then, you have all ready seen it!

The silly picture put an instant smile on my face and made me giggle right out loud! I'm sure it will bring a smile to your face too and hopefully it will be able to stay there throughout the holiday season. So, when you have waited in line for an hour to get that special gift and the person right before you got the last one (as happened to my daughter on black Fri.), or the kids are fighting and screaming about who knows what (it could be any and everything!), then recall this silly reindeer winking at you and just smile! Tis the season to be joyful!

Have you noticed how smiles are contagious? See how many you can give away this holiday season, and I'll bet you will receive a lot back as you do! You'd be amazed at how this can make a person's, you and I included, day brighter. Or, for December, we will say, "merrier!"

In your gift-giving this year, be sure you have at least one good book per child on your list. As the banner says, "Time spent with your children teaching them how to read," truly is the best gift you can give them! And, what about the gift of love you may ask. Well, can you see that it is all ready included when you take the time to sit down with your child and teach him/her the most valuable skill they will ever have? ;0)

Doreese

Thanksgiving and Gratitude

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the things we have received. We here at See abc's want to express our sincere gratitude for all the blessings we have been given this past year. Each of you are one of them, and we hope that See abc's has been able to bless your lives in some way. That is what we work so hard for; to try to help you to help your child or your student with the daunting task of learning how to read. Also, to help you as parents or teachers, by giving you new ideas to try.

We hope your Thanksgiving was both wonderful and delicious! As for us, Doreese was lucky enough to have two Thanksgiving dinners - one at her mother's with her side of the family, and one later in the day with her neice and her five little kids on her husband's side of the family. Sherry, had a cozy dinner at her house with over half of her children there.

We really can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone all ready! Though December is the busiest month of the year, try to squeeze in some reading time each day; knowing that you are going to miss some here and there. But, having set that goal will help.

Doreese and Sherry

Reading Rewards for Progress Made

Wow! I can't believe I'm blogging two days in a row. That's got to be some kind of record for me! But, if what I'm about to tell you is going to be of help right now, you need to know right now!

In your books, you have progress charts to provide incentives and motivation for your children/students. Along the way, they can earn rewards. One fun and different kind of reward would be to do something that is connected with upcoming holidays. They know they will need to hurry and earn that reward or the holiday, along with the reward that comes with it, will be over!

Halloween is around the corner and most communities have some type of fun Halloween activities going. Here in Cache Valley (Northern Utah), we have children's corn mazes and there is an annual "Pumpkin Walk". I recently went to a place near Salt Lake City called "Gardner Village" and this time of year, they have it all decorated with these huge witches doing all kinds of different things. (Ive posted some pictures of a few of them.) Many of these things are free.

If you choose one of these bigger events to be a reward, make sure that it is attainable for your child and work with them to achieve it. If you have other children that you want to take, set some type of goal for them to work on as well. Take some pictures and share with us!

Doreese

Report of UEA Convention

I shared a booth at UEA with a friend as a spur of the moment thing. I only used a 4th of the booth and mostly just was hoping to get some good exposure for "See abc's." My daughter, Joni, made a nice banner for me and a great poster. I took some samplers (I still need to blog about those!). I had free book marks and some "magic fingers" that people could buy separately from the program.

The turnout was quite disappointing compared to other years, but a lot of people took a book mark and many now know what a "magic finger" is! Also, I got to let people know that there is a way to change those hard-to-learn "sight words" into easy-to-learn "phonetic words" through the new invention of "Imletteration"!

Most companies just had the little paper banner that was provided. So, the larger, bright banner I had really caught the eye of those passing by. Hopefully it is registered in their sub-conscience somewhere so if they see it again, they will know they have seen it before!

Doreese

p.s. That black necklace I'm wearing was my big find at the convention. I've been wanting a long, black one, and it was only $5! There were a lot of fun, unique and discounted things there. (I also got my husband's Christmas present!)

UEA, Here I Come!!!

Hi everyone,

I am going to share a booth with a friend at the UEA convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. We will be at booth 624. If you are planning on going to UEA, come and see me. It will be Thur., Oct. 14 and Fri., Oct. 15.

Wish me luck. I will return and report!!!

Doreese

Glowing Parent Teacher Conferences for "See abc's" Kids

Just had to tell you about two children who have been using "See abc's". They both just started Kindergarten and had their Parent Teacher Conferences this week. One child's teacher said she was doing so well in reading that she could be bumped up two levels! At a different school, the other child's teacher said he was doing so well in reading that she was going to get him started on AR reading (an advanced program). She said that they don't normally do that until the middle of the year! Way to go kids and your moms!!!

I know a lot of parents have the notion that if their child learns how to read before school, he/she will be too bored when they start school. All the kids I know of that have used "See abc's" before school have never been bored, because their teachers know their abilities and put them on books that keep them challenged and growing. Also, with these kids, they have developed a deeper love of reading because they can read more advanced books at an earlier age; books which are a lot more fun and interesting!

Doreese

Reading and Writing Suggestion Box

I was thinking today that each parent who goes through the process of teaching their child how to read or how to write comes upon their own little golden nuggets of ideas that either have helped you to help your child improve, helped you deal with working with your child better, have come across ways to add fun to the process, etc. Or, you have come across things that make you think, "I'll never approach it this way again!" Sharing these golden nuggets with each other will help all of us to have a better experience, as well as the children we work with. So, I'm suggesting a "See abc's Suggestion Box." Any suggestions are welcome - not just using "See abc's."

I'll start with a suggestion for encouraging your children to read when they don't want to. You've heard the old adage, "Money Talks." Well, two of my students were balking at reading. One little girl who just turned four, only wanted to read four words a day from the blending book. She reads these beginning words very well, but in her mind, she thinks it is too hard. So, I filled my pocket with pennies and nickels and told her for each word she read, she would earn a penny. Well, she read 15 words with no complaint at all! We discussed money and she chose to exchange five of her pennies for a nickel. My other student, a five-year old who has just began Kindergarten, has had trouble concentrating on reading the sentences in the "Imletteration!" book. I told her for every sentence that she read and followed along with her finger, she would earn a penny. She earned 10 pennies, and stayed much more focused on what she was doing! She too, exchanged five for a nickle. Both of these children were very excited to add their coins to their "Piggy Banks." With children this young, a penny is a huge deal and it is rewarding for them to be able to earn it.

If you have a "suggestion" you would like to share, or a "caution" to give us, go to our "Contact Us" box on our website and let us know. On occasion we will share them here on our blog.

Here at the end of September, school is well under way. I hope all is going well!

Doreese

"Calling All Grandmas!"

This post is directed towards grandmas. And, speaking of grandmas, I became a grandma again three weeks ago! There is nothing in this world like a precious, little newborn! One more child for me to help bring along the road of reading!

I've really had a lot of fun teaching my grandkids how to read, and they have loved doing it with me. Reading is our special time together. My daughters are very capable of teaching their own kids, but they haven't complained about me helping them out when I can!

I know kids aren't always cooperative little angels when it comes time to read with mom. That is when I would suggest enlisting the help of a grandma or grandma figure. Kids will do most things better for grandparents. If you don't have a grandparent nearby, maybe an elderly neighbor would enjoy helping to teach your child their alphabet. It would be good for them as well. Most of my students have just worked with their mothers as far as I know, and done great. But, with all the fun I have teaching my grandkids, I think other grandma's would love it too, and it can give you a little break if needed. You don't have to do it alone.

Doreese

"See abc's® Vowel Cheer"

We all know that vowels have the most important job in teaching children how to read. It's important that children understand this; that every single word must have at least one vowel in it. Many times that vowel isn't even heard, it is silent, but it still must be there: i.e., "bird," "earth."

To help kids remember the vowels, we teach them our "See abc's Vowel Cheer." Follow along with our short video. Two and three-year olds love to do the cheer even though they don't know the significance of the vowels yet. But, that's great. It will just be that much easier for them when they get to that point.

Aarrgh!!! I can't get my link to this video to work! But, it is really cute and it is the easiest way to learn the cheer, which is the EASIEST way to learn the vowels. It is posted on our "See abc's" Facebook page. Search for "See abc's Reading Program" on facebook, scroll down the page and you will find it. Become our fan on Facebook!

Doreese

You've Worked on the Alphabet; What About the Writing?

Wow! Summer is more than half over! So, you've been working hard trying to get your child prepared for school by learning their alphabet, but what about his/her handwriting? Here's a fun way for kids to learn how to write. It is different than anything out there. Kids get to learn how to write by drawing, which is a lot more fun than making random lines and circles. And, they get to do it with a magic finger! It's demonstrated here in yet another cute video; the child is cute and you will just have to put up with watching me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aeOya9AQb8

Doreese

Video of See abc's Alphabet Flash Cards

Hi everyone, or should I say, "Aloha!"

I'm back from an amazing trip to Hawaii where I went to Wakiki Beach, shops, and aquarium; the Dole Plantation, the Polynesian Cultural Center, snorkeling with brightly colored fish, went to Pearl Harbor and the Punch Bowl military cemetary, and the highlight - my niece's wedding! So much fun. Got many souveniers. I did really well not to slurge on myself until I saw the little seashell stand. Then I just went nuts! I love seashells. My favorite is the blowing Conch shell.

Came home, and the next day my husband and I moved our son out to Indiana to start 4 years of dental school. We spent a few days there and helped him set up housekeeping in his nice house. Got to see the fireworks and fireflies while back there. I LOVE fireflies. They are so cool. Wish we had them here in Utah. I could watch them all night!

Now it is back to reality and work. I've been trying to learn how to make and upload videos. Here is one of some kids ages 2-5 playing with the See abc's Alphabet Flash Cards. It will give you a few of the many fun ways you can use them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaI4QcWDozY

While you are at this video, you can click on subscribe to subscribe to our youtube channel, and you will be notified whenever I post a new video. Help us out by giving us some great reviews while you are at it! Thanks

Doreese

First See abc's Reading Program Graduate Receives Award

Kaden was the very first person to complete the See abc's reading program. He did it just before he began Kindergarten and he has now just finished the 4th grade. A couple of weeks ago his mother called me excited to tell me that she had just come from his school's end of the year awards program. There is an "Eagle's Nest" award (They are the Summit Eagles). To acheive this award, children have to reach 1,000 AR (Accelerated Reader) points. These points only apply to certain books. The kids have to read them and then take and pass a test on them in order to get the points. An average Harry Potter book would only be about 50 points. So, that tells you it is a LOT of pages to reach this goal! The children have from 3rd to 5th grade to do this. In the history of Summit Elementary, it has never been acheived by a 4th grader, until this year when Kaden and one other did it. Usually a few 5th graders get it; but to get it in only two years time is incredible! His mother said she attributes it all to See abc's. And, he not only read AR approved books, but a lot of others as well. His name has been added to a nice plaque.

So, here's a big shout out to Kaden.... CONGRATULATIONS!!! We're soooooo proud of you!

Doreese

Phonics Lesson - Mountain says /m/

I've had this little piece of paper sitting in my cupboard for over a year now. My daughter told me something that her daughters had said and I thought it was so cute that I made a little note of it to share with others later. Well, I've decided to finally share it now so that I don't have to keep that little piece of paper in my cupboard any more.

My daughter's 4-year old had been learning her alphabet picture clues and sounds and she was trying to teach her little 2-year old sister as they were driving somewhere.

4-year old: "Mountain says _________?"

2-year old: "/m/"

My daughter was surprised to hear her say the right sound.

4-year old: "Mommy says _________?"

2-year old: "/m/"

My daughter was really shocked to hear that she knew the right sound again and was beginning to believe that she had a little genius on her hands!

4-year old: "Fish says ___________?"

2-year old: "/m/"

Well, so much for the genius theory, ha, ha! But, at this young age, she was understanding that letters themselves speak, and when she was an older 2-year old, she actually did know quite a few different letters and their correct sounds. As a 3 1/2-year old, she knows ALL of her upper and lower case letter picture clues and sounds. She's ready to start reading now, and actually has begun the blending book! She completely grasps the concept of how to put sounds together into words in "ABC's See How to Chop and Blend - a Recipe for Reading."

Doreese

Reading With Expression Game Works!

In my last post I taught you how to play a brand new "Follow the Leader Expression" reading game that I had just made up on the spot. The purpose of this game was to turn reading to your child into a "play-based" activity. I knew I would have to quickly actually try out the game I had just told you to do. If it didn't work as I had envisioned and predicted it would, then I would have some major editing to do in my last post. But, whew!!! It worked exactly as I had imagined.

As usual, my grandchildren are my little guinea pigs these days. The 5 and the 3-year old did awesome! The 3-year old did most of the tracking with her finger. She was learning a lot from this simple activity. The 2-year old chimed in occasionally with repeating a phrase with expression. He definitely can mimic expression at his young age. But, his attention span was quite erratic. The other two made it all the way through.

The book we read was so great for this activity that I will share it with you. It is So Many Bunnies - a bedtime abc and counting book written by Rick Walton. The words are in rhythm and rhyme, making it ideal to put expression to. Check it out from your library!

Doreese

"Follow the Leader Expression" reading game

In an article I recently read by Paul Mackie, he said, "The main key to any storybook is that it should be a sensory, play-based activity and above all be fun." All of the See abc's learn to read books are this way. But, how can you make any book play-based? One idea I just had was to play "Follow the Leader Expression" - a game I just now made up! If you use our program, you will see that reading with expression is a very big part of it. I believe it's really important to train young ones early to hear that there's a difference between reading with expression and reading in a monotone voice. They will quickly see, I mean hear that they prefer reading with expression.

Back to my new "Follow the Leader Expression" game. You simply read a sentence with expression, then have your child repeat it after you with the same expression. This simple game is going to accomplish several great things: 1. Teach your child how to play with their voice and make different tones; 2. See that they can make something sound exciting! 3. Help develop a feel of reading fluency by saying the sentence smoothly; 4. As you point to the words both while you read them, and then while your child repeats them, your child will learn a lot about direction of reading and when it is their turn, they will feel like they are truly reading; 5. They will have fun with reading because it is "play-based." (By telling them you are playing the "Follow the Leader Expression" reading game, you've already made it fun!)

For longer sentences, divide them up.

So, have FUN with ANY storybook! Doreese

CNN iReport - Changing Lives with Education

Hi everyone,

A college student had to interview someone for his entrepreuneur class and he chose me! Then he had to post it on CNN iReport. So, go and check it out.

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-429864

And, by the way, that cute student is my son, Michael.

Doreese

April Fools from Mother Nature!

I thought it was spring!

Sherry lives in Southern Utah and she is experiencing spring down there with leaves and flowers coming out. I live in Northern Utah and we had a few days that teased us making us think spring was here. Then today we woke up to several inches of snow on the ground! One of our big quaking aspen trees in the backyard is also on the ground! :0(

Though it is really beautiful, I'm ready for spring. I think I'll take some of my own advice and cozy up with a good book myself today, and try not to be too jealous of Sherry being able to go out and take nice springtime walks outside.

Doreese

It's SPRING! I love spring, it is a great time of year to get outside and work in the yard or go for a walk. There really isn't anything better than a brisk walk on a fresh spring day. The sun magically lifts our spirits and puts a smile on our face.

I have a good friend whose husband suffers with depression. She told me that his therapist makes him walk outside for at least a half -hour before he will see him. He is literally a different person after excersizing outside! The endorphins produced by the sun and excersize make a profound difference in his attitude. We can all benefit from taking a walk outside so grab your husband or a friend, maybe a child or a grandchild, or maybe your dog and get outside and enjoy this beautiful season! The sun is waiting to embrace you, the birds want to sing you their song and the blossoms will tickle your nose with the fragrance of God's love. You are SPECIAL! Make the most of each day because you deserve the the best of all that this amazing earth has to offer!

oxoxo!
Sherry

Comfort Counts

After the NSA meeting I blogged about last time, I got to speak one on one with Mark Eaton (the former 7'4" Utah Jazz basketball star.) It is so strange standing next to someone of that height. I wanted to talk to him, but I was a bit star struck and didn't know what to say intelligently. So, what did I do, probably what 95%of people talk to him about, his size. Afterwards, I thought, "That's probably that last thing in the world he wants to talk about!" But it had just occurred to me how very uncomfortable it would be to have to sit in normal-sized chairs for someone with such long legs from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with a few breaks in between. So, I asked him if it was difficult to sit on such small chairs for so long, and he said that it was okay, but that he did have to get up and stand sometimes. I said, "Yeah, it would be like me sitting in my little grandchildren's chairs." Driving home, I thought, "It would be great if someone could custom make folding camp chairs for really tall people that they could easily take with them to day-long events." (Somebody probably has somewhere.)

Well, as you are reading with your child, think about their comfort - them being small in your big world. When kids are just playing with learning the alphabet and numbers, they can relax on the couch, or sit on the floor, whatever they are most comfortable doing. But when it comes time to start reading, it's time for a little more structure; just because it's easier to lay the book on the table while using their finger to read with. It's harder to do that on their lap.

When a 4 or 5-year old sits on a regular chair at a regular table, they are seated way too low to make reading comfortable. They need to be up higher so it is easier for them to both see and follow along with their finger. With my 5-year old granddaughter, we tried the baby's booster seat, and as Goldilocks would say, "It was just right!" It made a huge difference. Also, by sitting at the table, it seemed to help her to concentrate better. Even though other kids were still running around, it was much better than being on the couch with them running around right in front of her.

No booster seat? Try a stool to the table or a stack of big books. When my students read at my house, I pull the piano bench over in front of the couch and it works great!

Comfort really does count. Children, like the rest of us, perform much better when they are comfortable.

Doreese

Get and Give

Another blog about something that really had an impact on my life. Day before yesterday, I attended a day-long event in Salt Lake City presented by the NSA (National Speakers Association). Our hearts and minds were fed by 10 different speakers; some of the top motivational speakers in the country. Here are their names:

Marty Val Hill, Jean Palmer Heck, Mark Eaton, Doug Nielsen, Judith Rasband, Jathan Janove, Jason Hewlett, Brad Barton, Tim Border, Kathy Loveless and Dan Clark.

I invite you to google each of them and find out why they are so special; see what they've done with their lives.

There are so many horrible things going on in the world today. It can really get us down. But, when I attend something such as this, it reinforces my confidence in humanity. If you are feeling a little empty inside, and even if you're not, look around you for the many opportunities there are for you to go and get filled. Check into your community's calendar and go to a seminar, take a class, go to a concert, etc., etc. Also, a good, uplifting, motivating book will do the trick.

Then once you have been filled, you will be more in a position to give to others. I like to call it, "get and give." There's just something about seeing other people giving and sharing their talents to help me that makes me want to go out and do the same. I'm sure you can guess that the way I like to give is through improving literacy. I LOVE teaching kids how to read, and I LOVE teaching parents how to teach their kids how to read. I'm also a big supporter of volunteerism.

If you don't have a cause, go out and find one. To name a few, there's: volunteering at a school, or an animal shelter, you can call your city office and ask if they need volunteers for anything, be a Boy or Girl Scout Leader, a 4-H Leader, be a SCORE counselor (they help people in small businesses), help the less fortunate, and on and on. Even just a phone call to lift someone in need. There's something that's a perfect fit for you.

The really amazing thing about this NSA event was that all proceeds were being donated to the Boy Scouts of America! Talk about giving!!!

I hope that if you're ever feeling down, these words will come to your mind and you will go out and do them: "get and give."

Doreese

Music and reading?

I saw something last night that inspired me so that I wanted to blog about it, even though it didn't have anything to do with reading. Then as I thought about it, I realized it has everything to do with reading! My son took me to see a young man, Haochen Zhang - age 19, who put on a piano concert. I was completely blown away by what I both saw and heard. He played five numbers, some with three and four movements by Mozart, Brahms, Chopin, Shuman and Stravinsky. Then he played an encore piece. He had it all memorized; nearly two hours worth! The numbers had the right mix of loud and soft, fast and slow. I especially liked the loud, fast parts. When he played fast, his fingers were just a blur! And it sounded so neat. I really could not believe what I was seeing and hearing.

In order to learn all of that, he had to know how to read music. Music is the universal language. It is decoding note symbols into corresponding tones. As a mother of five who all grew up learning how to play the piano, I know some of what it takes. Before I ever had children, I determined that they would all learn how to read books and they would learn how to read music. Reading and playing music greatly helps increase learning in other areas, especially math. The piano and other instruments that require two hands are really good because they use more of both the right and left side of the brain's power.

Haochen began studying at age three. When he was five, he had his first recital at the Shanghai Music Hall. He played 15 Bach 2-part inventions and sonatas by Mozart and Hayden. Wish I could have seen that! At age six, he played with an orchestra.

His experience supports my belief that the best time to start learning is when you are really young. Children are like sponges; soaking up everything. I haven't really pushed reading with two-year olds other than just reading the beginning books to them. But, I am now working with some two-year olds, and I have realized... "Don't under estimate the two-year olds!" They are really capable of learning a lot and they have so much fun doing it.

Experts say that just listening to classical music stimulates learning. So, way before your child can learn a musical instrument, or if playing an instrument isn't going to work out, just let your child listen to the music. If the experts are right, it will make a difference.

Doreese

Every Day Literacy for Pre-schoolers

Pre-school age children can learn a lot about literacy just from their every day environment. Take advantage of the many teaching opportunities that are all around you. Start with street signs. Both the shape of a stop sign as well as the word "STOP" which is written on it are forms of literacy learning. Same with yield signs. It's been interesting to me to observe that most pre-school children readily recognize a stop sign, but they don't know what a yield sign is. Where I live, there are almost as many yield signs as their are stops signs, yet children don't know what one is. (Hint: If you teach them to recognize a yield sign, they will more quickly learn the clue I use for upper case 'Y'.) Literacy doesn't have to always involve words. Point out railroad crossing, school crossing and speed limit signs; just anything you drive past. Logos are great. Do they know what it means when they see the double arches of McDonald's, or the big hat of Arby's? There are many things they can learn before actually learning how to read. Just get them observing things around them. You can still show and tell them signs with words on them such as what it says on the grocery store, gas stations, banks, clothing stores, etc. It may surprise you what they will pick up on.

According to the Webster Dictionary, literate means, "Versed in learning and science; educated." Doing the above activities takes literacy and brings it down to a 2-5 year olds' level. It has to begin somewhere, right?

So, the next time you go somewhere, turn your outing into a pre-school literacy adventure!

Flash Card Fun

"We have really enjoyed the "See abc's" program in our family. My 4-year old and 2-year old like to play the flashcards together. We set out half ot the lower case alphabet at a time and then my 4-year old plays teacher as he asks his little sister to find the 'e' elephant. She looks and finds it and then puts in in her pile. Then together, they get out their choppers and say "Elephant says /e/," three times. It's a great way for my 4-year old to review as he is getting ready to read. He feels so big and important as he helps his little sister! And it's a great way for the 2-year old to learn. The best part is, to them it is just a fun card game!" - Chris Nethercott

I have also found this to be the case with my grandchildren as the older one teaches the younger two. The 2-year old especially loves playing card games with the "See abc's Alphabet Flash Cards." He feels like he is such a big kid now that he knows how to play cards!

Too many people who get the program ignore the flash cards and just focus on the books. So, get out your cards and use them. It is a great way to learn, review, and remember the letters. Some of you are asking, "How do you get a 2-year old to play cards?" Well, as Chris said above, put out half of the lower case letter cards (after taking out the long vowel cards, and the copycat cards which are cent, gerbil and 's' with a zipper tab on it). The whole alphabet is way too much to do at a time. Put them with the picture clue side facing up. Then I will say to my grandson, "Can you find the 'h' hat?" (Say the letter name before saying the picture clue so they can start making some connections.) He will look around until he finds the hat. Then I say, "Good job, put it in your pile." He then proudly puts it in his pile. Then we get out our "choppers" and "chop" the sound for hat three times in a row, "Hat says /h/."

My 2 and 3-year old grandkids are now to the point where I can put the cards down with just the plain letter side up and they can find it. I call this the "guessing game" and it becomes something new and different, therefore making it fun all over again! The 2-year old sometimes guesses wrong. When he sees he has chosen the wrong card, he just puts it back down and tries again. It has never frustrated him when he chooses the wrong one. If your child does get frustrated with it, continue using the picture clue side until he/she knows them better.

That's just a couple of the games you can play. When they know the upper and lower case letters, you can play matching games with the them. Play games with the short and long vowel cards. When they start reading, get the cards out and make words with them. Have your child put a different letter at the beginning of the word to learn about rhyming.

Just make up your own games. If you come up with something fun, share it with the rest of us!

Doreese