As a parent, you can learn a lot about your child's learning
and watch for signs of possible problems. Here are some
things to look for and to discuss with his teacher:
Starting at age 3 or 4:
Does your child remember nursery rhymes, and can he play
rhyming games?
At about age 4: Can your child get information or directions
from conversations or books that are read aloud to him?
Kindergartners:Is your child beginning to name and write the
letters and numbers that he sees in books, on billboards and
signs, and in other places?
At age 5:
Can your child play and enjoy simple word games in
which two or more words start with the same sound? For
example: "Name all the animals you can think of that start
with d."
At ages 5 and 6:
Does your child show that he understands that spoken words
can be broken down into smaller parts (for example, by
noticing the word big in bigger)?
Does he seem to understand that you can change a small part
of a word and make a different word (for example, by changing
the first sound and letter of cat, you can make hat, sat, mat, bat,
rat, and so on)?