How can parents support their child's learning of the alphabetic principle at home?

Engaging in shared reading and letter-sound games is an effective way for parents to support their child's learning of the alphabetic principle at home. The alphabetic principle refers to the understanding that letters represent sounds and that these sounds combine to form words. When parents read with their children, they model the connection between letters and sounds, helping children grasp this foundational concept of literacy.

Through shared reading, parents can point out letters, demonstrate phonemic awareness, and encourage their child to sound out words. Letter-sound games further reinforce this learning by making it playful and interactive. These activities can include identifying letters in their environment, playing rhyming games, or using educational apps and toys designed to promote letter recognition and phonetics. Such strategies create a rich literacy environment that fosters a child's awareness of the alphabet and its connections to spoken language, thus enhancing their reading skills.

This approach contrasts sharply with other options, which either limit exposure to reading or diminish the importance of literacy activities, adversely affecting a child's learning and development. By prioritizing engaging and interactive methods of learning, parents can greatly enhance their child's literacy skills in a supportive and enjoyable manner.