If you want your children to read, experts recommend that the single best thing you can do for them is read aloud. Reading aloud has so many benefits:
- strengthening relationships by connecting through stories,
- exposing children to vocabulary they might not otherwise hear in conversation,
- and building interest and intrigue about the world around them.
In addition to providing tons of recommendations for reading aloud, Mother Goose Time, our favorite preschool program capitalizes on thematic and play based learning to help kids develop pre-literacy skills, while they are having fun. Each curriculum box includes a myriad of ways to practice letter recognition, introductory phonics, and comprehension. Here are a few of the ways that Mother Goose Time has helped my kids get ready to read!
1. Story Time
Book List
Each monthly theme comes with a book list of suggested stories. At least two books a week are chosen as key cornerstones to the program. Those stories include recommended movements for the kids to use while reading the book and ideas and questions to generate book discussion.
Experience Early Learning Books
A book, often one published by Experience Early Learning is included with each thematic curriculum box. The book comes with magnets featuring highlights from the story which engage the kids and prompt them to get more involved in the story. Encouraging movement and interaction helps the kids get the most out of their story time.
Forest Friends – Character Building Stories
Mother Goose Time works hard to help kids learn character building skills and to appreciate community. Each month a new character trait is presented through stories and activities. We have books focused on kindness, patience, generosity, bravery, resourcefulness, fairness, honesty, respectfulness, responsibility, and helpfulness.
2. Little Letter Books
The kids also get to make their own books featuring the letters of the month. The letter books are a fantastic way to get the kids excited about learning letter sounds and words. The books showcase three items that begin with the chosen letter. The kids trace, cut, and color to create their very own books.
3. I Can Read Books
The very first book my daughter read was an “I Can Read” book from Mother Goose Time. Using repetition and interesting, thematic characters, these books are a great introduction to reading. Our family has never tried to get our kids to read these books. We have read them aloud each month. We were thrilled, if not surprised, when suddenly the kids started to read them along with us.
4. Interactive Games
There are so many wonderful games included with Mother Goose Time that focus on letter recognition and literacy. Early phonics games encourage children to recognize beginning and ending sounds.
5. Letter Pieces
Letter pieces let kids practice forming and recognizing letters before they are ready to write. Many of the literacy games and activities included in the month’s activities utilize these letter pieces. We have driven cars on roads shaped like the letter “C” and built bridges out of pieces shapes liked the letter “B.”
6. My Little Journal
Mother Goose Time’s journals provide kids the chance to express themselves through drawing and writing. Tracing provides practice with pencil grip and letter, shape, and number formation. These journals are the perfect precursor to Mother Goose Time’s pre-k add-on, “More Literacy” where kids really start to focus on understanding how letters form words and lead to reading.
Join Us
If you are interested in reading more about our experience with Mother Goose Time, check out our curriculum page!
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Happy Learning!
As a blog ambassador for Mother Goose Time, I am happy to share preschool curriculum ideas, activities, and crafts with my readers. Mother Goose Time provides our family the opportunity to use their curriculum free of charge in exchange for honest and authentic stories based on our personal experience.
