Kayla, M.S. | Early Learning & Reading Readiness on Instagram: "Trick: Play Alien Words! Pretend you’re an alien who speaks very slowly, sound by sound: “/c/ … /a/ … /t/” Your astronaut friend blends the sounds and decides if it’s an Earth word (“cat”) or a silly alien word (“zorg”). Treat: This game strengthens phonemic awareness (the ability to hear and blend sounds), a key skill for becoming a confident reader (Ehri et al., 2001). Follow for more games that turn play into strong readers #lear