Teach letter names and sounds. As children learn the names of letters, have them practice saying the sounds that each letter makes. Reinforce this by displaying pictures of objects that begin with the targeted letter. When children learn to spell their names, have them say the sound of each letter in their first name.
Practice blending sounds into words. Choose words with two or three letters, such as "us", "cat" and "man." Say each sound in the word slowly then demonstrate the blending process. Use a large rubber band or a Slinky. Stretch the rubber band while saying each sound slowly. Retract the rubber band then say the word. This procedure will have to be repeated often.
Help preschoolers build a strong sight word vocabulary. Preschool is not too early to begin introducing children to high-frequency words. Start with the easiest words like "I", "my" and "is". Display words on a word wall in the classroom. Gradually add to the list and review it frequently. When you read stories to the class, point out sight words so they will become accustomed to recognizing these words when they are looking at books.
Read to preschool children often. Show them how the pictures can give clues to help them figure out words. Talk about periods and question marks and how they function as stop signs in reading. Concepts of print awareness is important for beginning readers. This is when they learn how to hold a book and read from left to right as well as locate the title page, author and other book features.