Even as a reading specialist, I was intimidated by teaching my preschoolers to read. I always assumed I would start letters with my own son around age 3 or 4, but he just wasn’t interested. Of course I wasn’t going to give up, but it did make me question 1. How can I simplify learning letters so that learning to read is motivating and confidence building? And 2. What can I do to prepare my preschoolers to read?

And I will tell you, I have no regrets about this whole process and WHEN I started because I prioritized preparing them to read. And when I found a better letter learning strategy, it really clicked so fast.

Whether your child is 2 or 6, you can prepare them for reading success by building up their phonological awareness skills. And reading happens faster when you combine these skills with effective phonics strategy. Even if your child knows their letters and sounds, these skills are still essential. 

When my son was 4.5 and my daughter was 2.5, I decided to start teaching pre-reading skills really intentionally, even though I was still working and not homeschooling yet.

So I kept my routine really simple because we were busy! We played with words during car rides, while I made dinner, and in the bathtub. Just by including maybe 20-30 minutes across the whole week, my kiddos mastered rhyming, beginning sounds, and can segment and blend the sounds in 4 sound words. And that meant when they learned letters, they were able to start blending those letters into words on day one! Now they can read words with blends too.

All that to say, teaching these skills up front makes reading so much easier and faster for our kids. You have to think of reading as 2 parts. #1 is knowing the letters or phonics patterns and #2 is being able to actually blend those sounds and read words. When we introduce our kids to playing with the sounds in words, we’re simplifying both parts.

Here’s how I got my kids to master these skills:

1. Rhyming: I would give them a few rhyming words and then they would shout out made up rhymes. We also read tons of rhyming books and I let my kids finish the rhymes. So if the page read, “Ovens hot, in they go! Bake, bake, bake, rising _____” I would pause for the last word and let them say the rhyme, “dough!” We also played a rhyming matching game that they were obsessed with. 
2. Beginning sounds: we played with beginning sounds often in the car. We played I-spy with beginning sounds: “I-spy something that starts with /c/!” maybe a car or cactus, we live in the desert! This took some time before it clicked, but now they like to play it the other way around, where they give me a sound and I have to guess the word!
3. Blending: I started by giving them compound words! I would say “hot” and have them repeat, and then say “dog” and they would say “hotdog!” Then we practiced this with a compound word matching game. Then I started to give them 2 or 3 sounds at a time to ask them what the word is. So I said /ow/ and /ch/, what’s the word? Ouch! Or have them repeat each sound after me as I say /m/ /a/ /n/ and then ask them “what’s the word?” Eventually they were playing with words with 4 or more sounds, like crab, plant, and sing. 
4. Segmenting: I did this alongside blending! First we segmented, or broke apart, the syllables in names. We played with their names, Mommy, Daddy, and friends and family members. So I would give them a name like Mommy, and we would clap “mom” “my” and then say it again and then do it again by counting the syllables on their fingers. This took a lot of practice but they caught on and then were able to do the same thing with counting the sounds in words with 2 (like ash), 3 (like match), or 4 sounds (like camp). When they could do this fluently, I knew they were ready for both reading and spelling. 

Then, and only then, did I start thinking about actually teaching them to read. We had put in all the work upfront, and now it was time to start using my faster letter strategy to learn to read letters and cvc words in just a month. And it worked!

Because they already understood beginning sounds, Lit Letters clicked right away. The visual naturally fits into the shape of the letter, so when my kiddos see w or p, they think worm and paint! This allows them to easily recall the beginning sound, so now they don’t even have to rely on Lit Letters to remember their letter sounds.

And from the first lesson, they started blending those letter sounds together and reading words like at, ic, and cat. At the end of 30 days, they were reading short words confidently, and we have continued to master more kindergarten level phonics skills from there. 

That’s why I included a 30 day scripted lesson plan with Lit Letters, so that you know exactly how to teach letters + words with game and spelling ideas too. 

The biggest piece of advice I have is to start. If you are interested in teaching your child to read, then jump in with this low-pressure method. My son wasn’t interested in letters (currently he only cares about star wars and legos) but preparing him to read with those phonological awareness skills gave him the automatic confidence he needed to excel (without tears).

Pre-reading skills are the most important reading skills you can teach your child before kindergarten, so even if you plan on waiting to introduce reading, start playing with words now to take that pressure off in the future.

I always tell parents, if your child is talking, they are ready to learn the skills that will prepare them for letters and reading! That’s why I created a reading foundations course within Play to Read called Beginning Basics, and if you join now you can jump right into kid-friendly lessons with printable games so that your child can master these skills in preparation for reading!

The post When is the right time to teach my child to read? appeared first on Lit to Lead.

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If your goal is just to teach your child to read and spell a list of words, then I highly recommend memorization. It’s quick and gets the job done. But if you want to raise a confident and capable reader, let’s teach them how to read anything!

I don’t remember exactly how I learned to read, but I’m pretty sure I learned phonics. Here’s how I know (and how you can too!): if you can spell “phonetic” words, you probably learned phonics. I’m great at phonetic spelling but not so great at tricky words (like vacuum– that one always confuses me!)

The good news is that if you teach your child phonics, they’ll be able to read and spell approximately 84% of the words in the English language. About 84% of words follow predictable phonics patterns and can be decoded easily. That should get you really jazzed (okay, maybe not as jazzed as I am about reading and spelling, but you get my point: we can make 84% of words easy by relying on phonics).

Tons of products and games are labeled as “phonics.” It’s become an almost a meaningless marketing term, which is unfortunate because phonics is incredibly meaningful to your child. When you teach phonics, you’re showing them that most words are “figure-outable.” You’re giving them the tools to decode the English language, teaching them they’re capable of deciphering its patterns.

Phonics is all about connecting sounds we hear in words to letter combinations, and it’s important not to get this backwards. Your child is already an expert at sounds (they’ve been mastering sounds since they figured out their animal noises!), so now we just need to teach them which letters spell the sounds they already know. We’re building on a solid foundation—sounds.

Phonics might feel intimidating when you think about teaching the 44 sounds of English with all their letter combinations, but think of it like a staircase: by focusing on one step at a time, you reach the top. Master the letters and CVC words, then you’re ready for digraphs like th, sh, ch, and wh. Don’t get overwhelmed by the big goal—just focus on the “next essential skill.”

When you use the “next essential skill” approach to teach phonics, you change the trajectory of your child’s reading journey. Your purpose isn’t just to move on to books; it’s to give your child the tools they need to read and spell any word.

The key is identifying the next essential skill your child needs to learn. I’ve created a phonics guide so you can learn exactly how to do that. Then, just take 15 minutes out of your day to practice reading and spelling skills together. [Grab the guide here!]

Teaching Phonics Plus the 16% of Tricky Words

So how do we teach phonics and the remaining 16% of tricky words? Explicitly! Meaning actively teaching the skills, because your child isn’t going to just pick up on them in books.

Whether you’re teaching a tricky word or a phonics pattern, I recommend starting with mapping it. Orthographic mapping is the process our brains use to store words so we can recognize them instantly. When your child connects a word’s sounds (phonemes) with its letters (graphemes), the word becomes “mapped” in their memory. This means they don’t have to sound out every word—they start to recognize many words on sight.

Orthographic mapping is perfect for teaching both phonics patterns and tricky words, helping your child learn words quickly and easily.

And don’t let the term orthographic mapping fool you—it’s a straightforward process. It’s really about strategically teaching them to spell. Here’s how it looks:

1. Give your child a word, and have them segment it into sounds. It’s helpful to use a mapping mat, like [this one].

2. Have your child mark the sounds they count in each box. I have my students draw a dot, but you can also use small toys to represent each sound. This step focuses entirely on sounds—not letters yet.

3. Write the letters that match each sound. For example, if your child is learning words with th, you might give them the word bath. They would mark the three sounds they hear, then spell those sounds using letter tiles or by writing them down.

You can download the mapping mat here!

This process solidifies the word in your child’s mind, allowing them to recall sounds and blend them easily when reading. It’s my go-to method for teaching both typical phonics patterns and tricky words.

For Tricky Words

The process is very similar for tricky words. First, your child marks the sounds, then spells the sounds that follow the rules. I teach children to mark the parts that don’t follow the rules with a heart. It’s the “heart part”—the part they need to memorize.

With this process, children learn patterns quickly and typically only need to repeat the process with heart words 1-4 times before these words are embedded in memory.

I explain the exact process for heart words with examples in my recent Youtube video on tricky words. When you teach both phonics and tricky words, you show your child that they can read anything. Now that is confidence-building.

And now, teaching tricky words is even easier. I share weekly heart word lessons within Play to Read Plus, so your child can learn them in less than 10 minutes weekly alongside phonics games they’ll love!

Happy Reading! -Delainey

The post Why Bother Teaching Phonics When There Are So Many Exceptions? appeared first on Lit to Lead.

Does this sound familiar? You thought your toddler had reading down, but now every word turns into a battle. I’ve got good news and bad news for you.

The Bad News: There’s No Magic Tool

The bad news is there isn’t an incredible, magical tool that will instantly teach your child to blend words effortlessly. If you were hoping for an app, book, toy, or even flashcards like Lit Letters to do the job for you—sorry, it’s not that easy.

The Good News: It’s Simpler Than You Think

The good news is, teaching your child to blend words is actually much easier than you might expect. Even better—you probably already have all the supplies you need at home. All you need is the right strategy and three simple tools.

Hi, I’m Delainey

If we haven’t met yet, I’m Delainey—a reading specialist turned parent coach. I help parents give their children the reading confidence they need from the start. My approach is all about using research-backed strategies and fun games to make learning to read both meaningful and impactful. Today, I’m sharing my top three tools for teaching blending—one of them is even a freebie!

What Is Blending?

Blending is an essential phonics skill your child needs in addition to phonics knowledge. Phonics knowledge is knowing letter sounds, but blending is the skill of combining those sounds to make words. Your child might know the letter sounds “m,” “a,” and “t,” but can they blend them together to say “mat”? That’s where blending comes in.

Tool #1: Play-Doh

As adults, we tend to overlook the complexity of blending because we have phonological awareness—the ability to distinguish sounds in words. Your child, however, is still developing this skill. Play-Doh is one of my favorite ways to teach blending because it provides a visual and tactile input, making an abstract concept more concrete.

Start with two Play-Doh balls and give your child the sounds: /a/ and /t/. Have them press the balls together as they repeat the sounds. Then ask, “What’s the word?” This helps them connect the sounds and blend them into words. Once they can blend two sounds, move on to three-sound words like “mat,” “pet,” or “mug,” and eventually to four-sound words like “crab” or “plan.” Play-Doh makes this learning process more hands-on and engaging for your child.

Tool #2: Blending Mat

After preparing your child with oral blending, the next step is continuous blending with written words. Have you ever heard a child say each sound in a word with pauses between them and then struggle to say the word? Sometimes they will leave out the first sound (saying “am” instead of “sam”) or they will make a guess! With continuous blending, you teach your child to drag those sounds out and connect them together rather than pausing between sounds and trying to repeat the word. The key is to teach your child to “keep the engine running”—dragging the sounds together without pausing between them.

For example, instead of saying /r/ /a/ /t/ with pauses, teach your child to smoothly say “rrrrraaat” until they blend the word. Start with words that have a stretchy first sound like /r/ or /s/, and gradually move to more complex sounds. This strategy helps children avoid the common mistake of saying the sounds but failing to blend them into a word. Grab the blending mat here!

Tool #3: Games

Until your child can blend two-syllable words easily, books might be overwhelming. Instead, games are the best way to provide the repetition they need at the word level before moving on to sentences and books. In my membership, Play to Read Plus, I teach parents how to use over 8 different games to target the essential phonics skills their child needs to succeed. But these two are the easiest to start with on your own at home:

1. Tic-Tac-Toe: Draw a tic-tac-toe board and fill each square with a word your child is working on, like CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words or blends. Your child reads the word before placing their “X” or “O” in the square. This can be adapted for any phonic skill.

2. Board Games: Use games you already have at home, like Connect Four. Write or print out words on cards, and before your child takes their turn, have them read a word. It’s a simple way to turn any game into a phonics practice session.

Join Play to Read Plus

If you’re ready to teach phonics skills through games and transform reading frustration into reading confidence, Play to Read Plus is the community for you!

Is Your Child Struggling with Blending?

If your child is struggling with blending words, grab my freebie and join my email list because I’ll be sharing more about how spelling can support blending and how to help your child start blending sentences.

The post So you thought your toddler could read, but now every word is a struggle! appeared first on Lit to Lead.

Blending is the ability to smoothly combine letter sounds into words.

For many kids, blending is not intuitive. It’s really tricky to transition from learning letters to the next step, blending words. You child needs to be explicitly taught how to blend words and sentences. The good news is, you can break down blending into simple steps. With repetition, this process will become more and more automatic for your child. Games are the best way to reinforce this skill, because they offer fun opportunities to practice the same patterns repeatedly. 

My biggest piece of advice for you is to not move on too soon. Don’t move onto the next phonics skill, don’t focus on anything else until your child has mastered blending CVC words quickly and easily. Hold off on tricky words like the, said, and you until your child grasps blending CVC words.

CVC words follow a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern. (jug, lap, red, etc) The vowel is short because this is a closed syllable. It is essential that your child masters this pattern because so many words are made from closed syllables: picnic, running, uncommon. It’s foundational to all the other phonics skills. 

The majority of parents will teach their child their letter sounds, and then ask their child to “sound out” words. What the parent means is say each sound in the word, usually with a pause between the sounds. Then the child will try to blend those sounds together and repeat the word. For some children, this clicks right away and they start reading words. For others, this results in a few difficulties:

• Saying the sounds in a word but not being able to say the word itself
• Slow blending
• Mixing up sounds 
• Guessing
• Saying every word twice (one time to sound it out, one time to blend it) and then struggling through sentences because of that repetition

If you are just starting out with teaching your child to read, or you want to improve their ability to read words, then don’t teach them to say each sound (with pauses in between) and then repeat the word.

Instead, teach continuous blending!

With continuous blending, we teach kiddos to drag the sounds of the word together! Teach your kiddo to connect the sounds in words and it will fix a whole host of problems! 

First, simplify the process by taking letters out of the equation. You have to keep in mind that when your child is reading these short words they are doing two things at once: remembering letter sounds and blending them together. When you take letters off the table you can teach your child how to blend the sounds out loud. Focusing on this skill separately simplifies the reading process. When they can easily blend sounds out loud, it makes blending them when reading so much easier. Take any word with 2 sounds and give them to your child one at a time, having them repeat. Try “/i/ /f/, what’s the word? If!” Then do the same with 3 sound words: “/p/ /a/ /t/ what’s the word? Pat!” 

Once they have mastered that skill, then you can bring letters back into play, and that’s when continuous blending comes into play.

The goal is to drag the sounds together by stretching the vowel. I tell kids “keep your motor running!” Pretend your mouth is a car and you have to keep the motor running, or the sound coming out, until you reach the end of the word. When you put the word in front of them, model dragging your finger under the letters, and dragging them together with your voice. So for a word like “at”, you would say aaaaaaat! Slide their finger along the word and have them stretch it out like you. Focus on blending without saying the word twice. 

You can download my free blending mat with that “keep your motor running” theme! Just grab a small car to make it playful and tactile for your little! Grab it here!

When they have mastered 2 sound words and can say them quickly, do the same with 3 sound words. Once again, drag your finger and stretch out the vowel. If your child has difficulty connecting the first 2 sounds you can try consonants that are stretchy, like m, r, l, n, v, f, z and s. This will allow you to say the sounds slowly sssssiiiiitttt. The more you model gliding your finger under the words and blending them together, and having your child do the same, the faster and easier it will be for them to connect the sounds. 

If your child still has difficulty connecting 3 sounds, try successive blending. For some kids it is really difficult to keep all 3 sounds in their head initially. With successive blending, you cover up the last sound and just combine the first 2. Then say it again and add the last sound. Once your child is doing this successfully, switch back to continuous blending. 

One of the main elements of this skill is repetition. If your child can blend sounds out loud, eventually it will click when they are doing it on paper. So you need to practice words often in a low pressure way until they can automatically and quickly blend cvc words. Games are the best way to expose your child to the cvc pattern often! Most books (except a few really decodable ones) will have a lot of different phonics patterns in them, but you want to only focus on the cvc pattern initially. 

In Play to Read Plus, I teach parents how to use continuous blending with the goal of mastering words with games! With video lessons for foundations and monthly games for each phonics skill, teaching your child to read has never been simpler! 

Happy Reading! -Delainey

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So You Thought You Taught Your Toddler to Read… Now Every Word is a Fight 

Does this sound familiar? You thought your toddler had reading down, but now every word turns into a battle. I’ve got good news and bad news for you.

The Bad News: There’s No Magic Tool

The bad news is there isn’t an incredible, magical tool that will instantly teach your child to blend words effortlessly. If you were hoping for an app, book, toy, or even flashcards like Lit Letters to do the job for you—sorry, it’s not that easy.

The Good News: It’s Simpler Than You Think

The good news is, teaching your child to blend words is actually much easier than you might expect. Even better—you probably already have all the supplies you need at home. All you need is the right strategy and three simple tools.

Hi, I’m Delainey

If we haven’t met yet, I’m Delainey—a reading specialist turned parent coach. I help parents give their children the reading confidence they need from the start. My approach is all about using research-backed strategies and fun games to make learning to read both meaningful and impactful. Today, I’m sharing my top three tools for teaching blending—one of them is even a freebie!

What Is Blending?

Blending is an essential phonics skill your child needs in addition to phonics knowledge. Phonics knowledge is knowing letter sounds, but blending is the skill of combining those sounds to make words. Your child might know the letter sounds “m,” “a,” and “t,” but can they blend them together to say “mat”? That’s where blending comes in.

Tool #1: Play-Doh

As adults, we tend to overlook the complexity of blending because we have phonological awareness—the ability to distinguish sounds in words. Your child, however, is still developing this skill. Play-Doh is one of my favorite ways to teach blending because it provides a visual and tactile input, making an abstract concept more concrete.

Start with two Play-Doh balls and give your child the sounds: /a/ and /t/. Have them press the balls as they repeat the sounds. Then ask, “What’s the word?” This helps them connect the sounds and blend them into words. Once they can blend two sounds, move on to three-sound words like “mat,” “pet,” or “mug,” and eventually to four-sound words like “crab” or “plan.” Play-Doh makes this learning process more hands-on and engaging for your child.

Tool #2: Blending Mat (Your Freebie!)

After preparing your child with oral blending, the next step is continuous blending with written words. Continuous blending is a specific blending strategy in which your child is taught to drag the sounds together instead of stopping between each one. Have you ever heard a child laborously say each sound, and then when asked what the word is they say a totally different word? When they are taught to drag the sounds together without those pauses, there is less room for error and it is easier to transition from sounds to words.

That’s why I love this freebie blending mat! The key is to teach your child to “keep their engine running”—dragging the sounds together without pausing between them.

The post Why Lowercase Letters Matter: The Case for Teaching Lowercase First appeared first on Lit to Lead.

The Science Behind Learning Through Play

Research has consistently shown that children learn best through play. When kids are engaged in playful activities, they’re more likely to absorb information, retain it, and apply it in real-life situations. Play stimulates curiosity, encourages problem-solving, and promotes a positive attitude towards learning. For young readers, games provide a low-pressure environment where they can practice new skills without the fear of making mistakes.

Game-based learning taps into this natural inclination to play, making reading not just a task, but an enjoyable adventure. By incorporating games into your child’s reading routine, you’re helping them build essential skills in a way that feels fun and rewarding.

How Game-Based Learning Builds Reading Confidence

One of the biggest challenges in teaching children to read is keeping them motivated. Traditional methods, like worksheets or rote memorization, can quickly become tedious, leading to frustration and disengagement. But with game-based learning, the focus shifts from “getting it right” to “having fun.” This shift in mindset can make a world of difference for your child’s reading journey.

When children play games that are designed to reinforce reading skills, they experience a sense of accomplishment with each success, no matter how small. This sense of achievement builds their confidence and encourages them to keep going. The more they play, the more confident they become—and the more they learn.

Practical Tips for Incorporating Game-Based Strategies at Home

So, how can you bring game-based learning into your home? Here are a few simple tips to get started:

1. Make Reading Fun: Choose games that are interactive and engaging, like letter matching, word puzzles, or storytelling games. The goal is to make reading feel like playtime, not homework.
2. Set Aside Time for Play: Dedicate at least 15 minutes a day to playing reading games with your child. This consistent practice will help reinforce their skills and keep them motivated.
3. Celebrate Wins: Every time your child masters a new skill or completes a game, celebrate their success! Positive reinforcement goes a long way in building their confidence.
4. Use Resources Like Play to Read Plus: Our Play to Read Plus membership offers a variety of game-based learning strategies that are tailored to your child’s reading level. With weekly live lessons, daily coaching, and a library of engaging games, it’s designed to make reading fun and effective.

Conclusion

Game-based learning is more than just a trend—it’s a proven method for helping children develop strong reading skills in a way that feels natural and enjoyable. By turning reading into a game, you’re giving your child the tools they need to succeed, all while fostering a lifelong love of learning. Ready to make reading fun? Start incorporating game-based strategies today, and watch your child’s confidence soar.

The post The Power of Game-Based Learning: Why Play is the Key to Reading Success appeared first on Lit to Lead.

Why Games Make Reading More Fun

Children are naturally drawn to play—it’s how they explore the world, learn new skills, and express their creativity. By incorporating games into your child’s reading routine, you tap into this natural love of play, making learning feel like an adventure instead of a task. Games also help to remove the pressure often associated with reading, allowing your child to develop their skills in a relaxed and enjoyable environment.

5 Creative Reading Games to Play with Your Child

1. Letter Treasure Hunt
   • How to Play: Hide letter cards (like those from Lit Letters) around the house and give your child clues to find them. Once they’ve found a card, ask them to say the letter sound and think of a word that starts with that letter.
   • Why It Works: This game turns learning letters into an exciting quest, helping your child reinforce letter sounds while staying active and engaged.
2. Word Bingo
   • How to Play: Create a bingo card filled with simple words your child is learning. As you read a story together, have your child mark off any words they hear that are on their card. The first to get five in a row wins!
   • Why It Works: Word Bingo encourages active listening and helps children recognize sight words, all while keeping them engaged with a classic game.
3. Story Cubes
   • How to Play: Create or buy a set of story cubes with pictures or words on each side. Take turns rolling the cubes and using the images or words to create a story together.
   • Why It Works: This game sparks creativity and helps your child practice narrative skills, building both their vocabulary and their imagination.
4. Phonics Hopscotch
   • How to Play: Draw a hopscotch grid with chalk outside or create one with tape indoors. Write different letter sounds in each square. As your child hops from one square to the next, have them say the sound and a word that starts with it.
   • Why It Works: Phonics Hopscotch combines physical activity with phonics practice, helping your child remember letter sounds through movement and repetition.
5. Reading Relay
   • How to Play: Set up a relay race with different reading stations around your home or yard. At each station, your child has to complete a reading challenge, such as identifying a word, matching a letter to its sound, or reading a sentence out loud before moving to the next station.
   • Why It Works: This game makes reading a high-energy activity, perfect for children who love to move while they learn.

How to Make Game-Based Learning Part of Your Routine

Incorporating these games into your daily routine doesn’t have to be complicated. Dedicate just 15 minutes a day to playing one of these reading games with your child. The key is consistency and keeping the experience positive and fun. Not only will your child’s reading skills improve, but they’ll also start to see reading as an enjoyable and rewarding part of their day.

Conclusion

Reading doesn’t have to be a chore—it can be a game that your child loves to play. By integrating creative and engaging games into your child’s reading routine, you’ll help them develop essential literacy skills while fostering a lifelong love of reading. Ready to make reading fun? Start playing today with these simple, effective games that turn learning into an adventure.

The post How to Make Reading Fun: 5 Creative Games to Play with Your Child appeared first on Lit to Lead.