Get ready - it's almost here!

I am over the moon excited! For the past 18 months I have been working on a labor of love and it is just about finished.

One more careful edit and it will be done. Done!

I have to say, and I hope I do not sound as though I am gloating, it turned out even better than I had hoped it would.

I hope you are going to love my new book. It is called:

Beyond the Alphabet: Play into Reading Readiness.

This book gives young children (as young as 3 years old) the strong foundation they need before they learn to read. Did you know that there are 7 areas children need to fully understand before they can be strong readers?

My book address each of these skills and I offer many, many playful ways to teach these skills too. And since it is me, I also have quiet bins for every skill as well. Practicing skills all on one’s own through using a quiet bin is a fabulous way to consolidate learning.

As a special bonus section I have included how to teach your child to read. It turns out that once this strong foundation for reading readiness is formed, it is incredibly straightforward to teach children to read.

Benjamin is working on his ‘sound identification’ right now. Sound identification is the 4th skill I introduce in my book. We did this fun game on the weekend and it was such a hit that I wanted to share it with you.

I simply placed a big circle on the ground using painters tape. I then drew the letter ‘B’ inside the circle and we went on a scavenger hunt for things that started with the sound B.

We walked (or rather I walked and Benjamin sort of galloped — he was completely excited by this scavenger hunt!) around the room saying the sound /b/ again and again as we hunted.

It wasn’t long until he found a “Ball” and excitedly popped it into the circle.

Next, he excitedly rode his bike into the circle.

Soon after this he decided it would be even more fun to use the dump truck to hunt for the /b/ words and dump them into the circle. He added a block and a beanbag.

We had so much fun with this game that we took it to another room of the house and played it again.

One of the big things I emphasize in my book is ensuring your child is enjoying the games and play. We must be sure that these little ones associate reading with feelings of fun, love and warmth. My book suggests oodles (oodles!) of games and activities to engage every type of learner.

It is my hope that this book empowers you to know that you CAN absolutely, undeniably, and completely get your child ready to read.

Please join me in two weeks as I launch my new book and together we will ensure the next generation is full of children who adore reading! Please stay tuned for details here, or on my How Wee Learn Facebook page.