Language Fun (Ready for Kindergarten)

My girl is a word girl.  If you know my husband and me, it probably isn’t a huge surprise that our daughter might have a particular interest in language.  So the Ready for Kindergarten theme for March–Language Fun–was mostly just business as usual for us.

• Sounds & Letters – Alphabet books are fun, so why not make your own?   Ours is in progress… Meanwhile, we like to read The Sleepy Little Alphabet by Judy Sierra and LMNO Peas by Keith Baker.

Our alphabet book in progress

• Words – My daughter fell in love with Fancy Nancy from the moment she pulled the book off the library shelf.  It’s pink and girly in all the ways that catch her eye, but the best part (in my opinion) is Nancy’s “fancy” vocabulary.  It’s where Ladybug learned that “stupendous” is a fancy word for “great” and “parfait” is a fancy word for “sundae.”   It’s one of the few overtly girly picture books I’ve read that I don’t mind in the slightest. We’ve also liked Dashing Dog by Margaret Mahy and We’re All in the Same Boat by Zachary Shapiro for the inherent vocabulary lesson within.

Reading Fancy Nancy

• Expressions – I feel like I spend half of every day explaining idioms to my daughter.  She doesn’t let a single one pass by without questioning.  I like the Brownie & Pearl series by Cynthia Rylant.  Each adorable book takes on an idiom.  So far they have hit the hay, stepped out, taken a dip, and more.  Julie Danielson called it “a gem of a series,” and I mentioned it in this post about winter in Minneapolis from 2010.
• Wordplay, etc. – Dr. Seuss is, of course, the master of wordplay, but don’t forget some more recent picture books that use rhyme, rhythm, and more to make for a fun read-aloud.  I have a few great suggestions in this post I contributed to Books in Bloom, but we especially like everything by Karen Beaumont. :)

How do you explore language with your preschooler? Any books or activities that you have enjoyed?  I’d love to hear from parents or educators about what has worked for them!

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See more posts for Parents & Educators here or follow my Kids Activities & Education Board on Pinterest for more preschool fun.

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