Here are some fun activities and exercises you can do with your child to help them get ready to read:

1. Close your eyes and listen - Have your child close their eyes and either make a noise yourself or have the child tell you what noises they hear in the house.

2. Tap after me - Use any small object that makes noise and tap a rhythm on a table or drum. Then have your child repeat this rhythm.

3. What rhymes with this? Think of a word and have your child think of a word that rhymes with that word. Read them nursery rhymes and show them how each line rhymes.

4. Grab bag - place several object in a bag and have your child put his hand in the bag and identify the object without looking at it.

5. Take away - Line up several objects on a tray or table. Have your child look at them and then close his eyes. Remove one of the objects and see if your child can identify the object that you took away.

6. Describe the picture - Pick a picture from a picture book and have your child describe it in as much detail as he wants. Then close the book and hand it to your child and have them find the picture in the book.

7. Follow the line - you can do this game on the ground with chalk or on a piece of paper with a pencil. Draw a circle and have your child either walk on the circle or trace over it. Draw a line with an arrow over it and have them trace the line. Always make sure the arrow is facing from left to right. You can make the line solid or dotted. Some children enjoy drawing a line from one object to the other. Once your child has mastered a straight line, you can make the line jagged or curved if you like, always making sure to go from left to right.

8. Draw simple objects and leave them slightly incomplete. If you draw a person, leave off the nose or arm. If you draw an object like a flower, leave off a few of the petals. Then have your child complete the picture.

9. Complete the shape - Draw a simple shape but make part of the shape a dotted line. Then have your child complete the shape by filling in the dotted line.

10. What doesn't belong? Place 3 or 4 toys that start with the same letter on a table or tray. Add one more toy that does not begin with the same letter. Have your child say the name of each toy and pick out the object that does not begin with the same letter.