Have You Heard About Reach Out and Read?

Reach Out and Read is an organization that has been around for ten years giving books and read aloud advice to parents. Doctors give the books and advice to children and parents. Many children have been served and the program is an effective intervention. Children who are read to at home are better prepared to learn to read themselves.

Here's an uplifting promotional video for you to watch.


Check out their website to learn more about this organization.

Read Out and Read makes a difference. Watch how Reach Out and Read helped these parents.

Have You Heard About Reach Out and Read?

Phonograms and Blends

A beginning reader will benefit from practice with a few two letter phonograms and blends. Most readers will learn phonograms and blends not specifically taught if they are given the opportunity to practice and over learn sounding out words with some of the most common phonograms and blends.

Phonograms and blends can be introduced, practiced and taught while reading books.

Phonograms and Blends

Handwriting Practice Videos

Handwriting and letter formation can be taught without worksheets or even a pencil.

You can use a large laminated piece of construction paper or the slick side of freezer paper taped to a table.
Here's a video showing how to get the finger paint ready to become a writing surface. The letter shows up white after pressing into the paint with a finger.


Here's a video showing forming letters grouped by starting points and formation. I use D'Nealian or manuscript style printing in my videos. You can use finger paint to teach a child other styles of printing too.





Using index fingers is easier than using pencils for many young children.
A child can learn proper letter formation without the added stress of holding a pencil properly. Using finger paint and a child's index finger allows a child to learn proper letter formation before his or her fine motor skills are strong enough to use a pencil correctly. A child will use the index finger of his or her dominant hand to form letters.

A child can be given extra support while learning to write letters with finger paint.
An adult can show first. A child can place his or her finger right behind an adult's finger as a letter is formed. A child can trace a letter already written. A child can try to make a letter on his or her own. A letter can be quickly wiped away and tried again.

Here are videos of how to print each letter of the alphabet using D'Nealian or Manuscript Printing.
Print the letter a.
Print the letter b.
Print the letter c.
Print the letter d.
Print the letter e.
Print the letter f.
Print the letter g.
Print the letter h.
Print the letter i.
Print the letter j.
Print the letter k.
Print the letter l.
Print the letter m.
Print the letter n.
Print the letter o.
Print the letter p.
Print the letter q.
Print the letter r.
Print the letter s.
Print the letter t.
Print the letter u.
Print the letter v.
Print the letter w.
Print the letter x.
Print the letter y.
Print the letter z.

Find free handwriting and cursive resources in this post from K5 Learning's blog.

Why not add a little phonics and sounding out while you are writing?

Handwriting Practice Videos

How to Teach Common Two Letter Phonograms

There are some phonograms that are more common and therefore easier to practice and learn first.
Here are some of the most common phonograms you may want to teach first.
ay - day, play, say, way
ou - out, shout, our, house
oo - boo, moo, too, soon
ow - how, now, cow, brown (Teach the ow of snow after the ow sound in now is taught and practiced.)
er - her, over, sister
ar - car, star, far, farm
ee - tree, bee, see, knee
ai - air, rain

Follow your child's lead. If your child is naturally finding a phonogram or likes to spell a word with a phonogram, start with that one. Do not introduce more than three at a time and make sure your child has learned and loves to find the new phonograms before introducing more.

My favorite books to show a child common phonograms are Put Me in the Zoo, Hop on Pop, and

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? Children love these stories read over and over. Point out phonograms your child knows or is learning when reading these books out loud to your child. 

Remember to practice and make sure your child has a good understanding of new phonograms before trying to teach more. You can practice by showing new phonograms in any book you read out loud. Spell some words together with phonograms. Magnetic letters are fun to spell words, mix them up, and put them back together. Find some early reader books with the phonograms your child is learning to read.

How to Teach Common Two Letter Phonograms