| Developing tracking skills is key to your child's literacy | | | | lines as they relate their version of the story |
| development. Tracking in reading is the ability to follow | | | | ~ Make patterns with your child out of blocks, legos, |
| a line of type across a page from left to right and | | | | beeds, or any other type of toy, game, or craft idea. |
| from the top of the page to the bottom. | | | | Take turns making patterns for the other to copy. |
| Most educators agree that effective tracking skills are | | | | ~ Play games that utilize patterns such as hopscotch |
| essential for understanding literacy and aiding learning | | | | or board games. Create your own games indoors and |
| as a whole, but some children have difficulty mastering | | | | out. |
| tracking. | | | | ~ Use nature and real life to expose your child to |
| While a crucial step in learning to read, you can easily | | | | tracking skills by watching a ball roll, a worm crawl, or a |
| help your child develop these skills with many fun | | | | bird fly. Watch cars travel down the road or airplanes |
| activities. | | | | across the sky as your child gets better with tracking |
| ~ When you read to your child let them see you | | | | slower objects. |
| tracking by using your finger to underline the words as | | | | If your child continues to struggle with tracking skills |
| you read | | | | then you might want to consider a software program |
| ~ Allow your child to explore books on their own and | | | | created by educators (there are several on the |
| they will likely begin to mimic your behavior -- tracing | | | | market) to help with specific tracking activities. |