Read to your children at least 15 minutes per day. Your best bet is to choose books with subjects that interest them. If your daughter loves horses and unicorns, or your son loves space ships and dinosaurs, go to the library and check out as many books about those subjects as possible. As you read, teach children to read from left to right by using your pointer finger under each word. This teaches young children to understand words, and better identify high-frequency words that are required for kindergarten.
Encourage children to create objects using molding clay. Display how to roll tiny balls using the thumb and forefinger to help strengthen the hand muscles required for writing. Show children how to mold the letters of the alphabet with cookie cutters, then indicate the sound that accompanies the letter. It's a double-whammy: kids get a fine motor exercise and a tactile alphabet lesson.
Write the letters of the alphabet on a blank white page, one page for each letter. Say the letter out loud along with its sound. Then, take the child's hand and guide it into the pointer-finger position, gliding over the letters in the same direction in which you would write them. Practice easy sight words, like: is, it, play, like and an in the same manner.
Encourage your children to 'take a picture walk' through their favorite books. Ask your child questions about what might be the storyline, based on the pictures she sees. This activity encourages reading comprehension and the ability to understand that stories have a beginning, middle and end.