Little Bloomers

 

Do you remember the “Name Game?”  It went something like,

Julie, Julie bo bulie

Banana fanna fo fulie
Me my mo mulie
Julie!

 As strange as it may seem, word play like the “Name Game” is more than just a way to pass the time.  It is also an excellent way to develop your child’s preliteracy skills. Playing with words helps children to understand that words are made up of parts (sounds and syllables) and that those parts can be changed to make new words.  Another fun way to play with words is to create simple rhyming sentences such as, “The cat in the hat sat on a mat with a rat,” or “The bug gave the slug a hug on the rug.” Children’s songs and Dr. Seuss books are other terrific ways to expose your children to rhyming words. 

 How about playing some word games in the car?  Think up as many words as you can that start with the letter “B,” or look out the window and find something that starts with the “ssss” sound. You can break words into parts by asking, “What is cupcake without cake?”  Of course it’s just “cup.”  You can even make up new words.  What do you call an animal that is half giraffe and half rooster?  A girooster!

 It may seem silly but these are great ways for your child to develop an understanding that words are made up of sounds and syllables.  So go ahead and have some fun and watch your child’s language bloom.