Teaching reading is the school's job. What you can give at home before school is something else: a love of stories, an ear for sounds, and lots of talking. This article sums up what research shows and suggests a few games that need nothing at all.
What does research show?
In 2008 the US National Early Literacy Panel reviewed hundreds of studies. It found six early skills with a moderate to strong link to later reading and writing, even after taking family background into account:
- knowing the letters (their names and sounds);
- phonological awareness: noticing and playing with the sounds of speech;
- quickly naming letters and digits;
- quickly naming objects and colours;
- writing, for example writing one's own name;
- phonological memory: holding a string of sounds in mind for a short time.
The report adds that richer spoken language – grammar, explaining words, understanding what is heard – also plays an important part.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends reading aloud together from infancy, because it strengthens the bond between parent and child and surrounds the child with rich language.
Games with sounds and rhymes
- Rhyme hunt. "What rhymes with cat?" Hat, mat, bat – and made-up words count too.
- Clapping syllables. Clap out words: Te-ki, ted-dy, ae-ro-plane, cro-co-dile.
- I spy. "Something beginning with m." Mum, milk, map.
- Sound chain. The next word starts with the last sound of the one before: dog – goat – tree.
- Their own name. Find the first letter of their name on signs, in the shop, in a magazine.
Stories that turn into conversations
A story doesn't have to be read straight through: you can talk about it.
- Stop at a picture: "What do you think is happening now?"
- Pick out a new word and explain it together.
- At the end, let your child retell it, or invent a new ending.
That way a story brings new words, attention and time together, all at once.
Keep in mind
Short, cheerful moments, not lessons. If your child isn't keen, stop and try again another day.
On Teki's Story Shore there are games for talking and stories, and many only need the two of you on the rug. How Teki works
Sources
- Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel (2008) – NICHD (read 24 September 2026)
- Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice – AAP, Pediatrics (2014) (read 24 September 2026)
