Kindergarten English Language Arts: how to help at home
What your child learns in Kindergarten english language arts in the Ontario Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- A1 Oral and Non-Verbal Communication: Communicate orally and non-verbally
- A2 Foundations for Reading and Writing: Apply early reading and writing skills
- A3 Understanding and Responding to Texts: Understand and respond to a variety of texts by diverse creators from Canada and by diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit creators
- A4 Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts: Create texts using foundational language knowledge and skills
Easy ways to practise english language arts at home
- Read aloud every day and let your child finish familiar phrases.
- Play with sounds: “What starts with /b/? What rhymes with cat?”
- Point out letters on signs, cereal boxes and the street.
- Ask your child to tell you a story about their drawing, and write down a sentence or two.
What each unit covers
Letter Partners
Matching capital (big) letters with their lowercase (small) partners, including look-alikes such as b, d, p and q.
First Sounds
Hearing the first sound in a word (b in bus) and linking it to its letter. Say the words out loud together and stretch out the first sound.
Rhyme Time
Hearing rhymes (cat, hat) and spotting a word that doesn't rhyme. Rhyming games build the listening skills behind reading.
Clap the Beat
Breaking words into syllables (ba-na-na) by clapping. Clap along out loud: one clap for each part you hear.
Blend a Word
Listening for the sounds in a word, blending them to read it, and counting the sounds in words.
Sight Words
Recognizing common words such as the, see, can and my, plus colour and number words, by looking closely at their letters.
Story Order
Putting events in order, and listening to short stories to tell what happened at the beginning, middle and end.
Picture Clues
Using the picture and the first letter to read a word or a short sentence, a key early reading strategy.
Book Detectives
How print works: telling letters, numbers, words and sentences apart, reading left to right and top to bottom, counting words, and what authors and illustrators do.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Level 1
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Level 2
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Level 3
- Has it! Level 3 is the provincial standard. Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Level 4
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Ontario report card guide.
Common questions
How can I help my Kindergarten child with english language arts?
Read aloud every day and let your child finish familiar phrases. Play with sounds: “What starts with /b/? What rhymes with cat?” Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
What does my child learn in Kindergarten english language arts in Ontario?
The Ontario Curriculum Kindergarten english language arts units include letter partners, first sounds, rhyme time, clap the beat, blend a word, sight words.
Free printable Kindergarten english language arts practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.