Chicago ABA Therapy • Jul 11, 2025

5 Activities to Kick-Start Your Child’s Literacy Skills

Patrick McLean
Patrick McLean
Patrick McLean serves as Administrative Director and Co-CEO of Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, a comprehensive pediatric therapy practice he co-founded with his wife…
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Patrick McLean

Patrick McLean

Patrick McLean serves as Administrative Director and Co-CEO of Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, a comprehensive pediatric therapy practice he co-founded with his wife Rose in 2014. With over a decade of healthcare business leadership, Patrick has transformed their vision of coordinated, family-centered care into a thriving multidisciplinary clinic serving families throughout Chicago. After graduating from Western Illinois University in 2004 with a Bachelor's degree in Business and Finance, Patrick developed expertise in healthcare operations, strategic planning, and organizational growth. His business acumen combined with a deep commitment to serving children with developmental needs has positioned Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center as a trusted resource for families navigating speech delays, sensory processing challenges, autism spectrum disorder, motor delays, and behavioral concerns. As Co-CEO, Patrick oversees essential operational pillars including marketing and community outreach, human resources and staff development, financial management and insurance coordination, and long-term business strategy. His leadership has enabled the clinic to expand from offering single therapy services to providing integrated physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, ABA therapy, and social work—all coordinated under one roof for maximum family convenience and clinical effectiveness. Patrick's management philosophy centers on creating systems that empower both staff and families. He has built a culture of collaboration where therapists from different disciplines communicate seamlessly about each child's progress, ensuring holistic treatment plans that address the whole child. His proudest moments come from witnessing families' journeys—from initial concerns through celebrated milestones and hard-won achievements. Beyond his professional role, Patrick brings personal perspective as a father of four children. He actively coaches his kids in various sports, enjoys creating barbecue masterpieces on his smoker, and values connection time with friends on the golf course. This balance between professional purpose and family life reinforces his understanding of the families Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center serves every day.

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Getting Started

Did you know that children with a history of speech-sound disorders are at risk for reading difficulties? Because of this, it is essential to start working on pre-literacy skills from an early age! Before a child is able to read, there are certain phonological awareness or pre-reading skills that must develop. Phonological awareness refers to the awareness of speech sounds and the ability to reflect on and manipulate them.
Literacy1

Phonological awareness involves skills such as rhyming words, segmenting a word into its separate sounds, blending sounds into a complete word, identifying the first or last sound in a word and changing a sound to make a new word.

Phonological awareness is critical for literacy development, and performance of phonological awareness tasks is a good predictor of future reading ability. Below are 5 activities you can try at home to support the development of these skills!

Phonological Awareness Activities to Enhance Literacy Skills:

    1. I-Spy: Play the classic game of I-Spy with a literacy twist! Instead of providing clues based on color, try giving your child the first letter of the word or even a rhyming word. For example, “I spy something that begins with a /b/ sound” or “I spy something that rhymes with fox”
    2. Blending: Start by presenting the two parts of a compound word, such as “base-ball” or “air-plane” and ask your child to combine them to make one word. Once they have mastered this, try presenting 3 sounds “s-a-t” and see if they can blend them together
      • Tip 1: Use stretching sounds
        Stretching sounds include s, v, n, z, w, r, sh, h, th, f, m, l and all vowels. These sounds make it easier for kids to learn phonological blending
      • Tip 2: Make it visual
        Use beads, chips or cheerios to represent each sound. Put your finger on a bead, produce the first sound of the word and pull it down. Repeat with the other two beads
    3. Flip Book: Write a 3-letter word on a piece of paper. Write a new letter on a post-it note and cover up the first letter. What happens? Sound out the new word. Repeat those steps to make various real and nonsense words that rhyme. Staple the post-it notes to the big piece of paper to make a flip book

Literacy2

  1. Scavenger Hunt: Choose a sound and tell your child to collect 5 items from around the house that start with that sound or end with that sound.
  2. Clap your Name: Model saying a word and clapping for each part (ex: “Mon-key. Monkey has two parts!”) Then, have your child clap for each syllable in their name. Repeat with the names of all family members and friends!

Wrapping Up

These are five easy ways to incorporate early literacy into your child’s every day routine. Should you feel that you need more guidance or would like to help your child progress with these literacy skills, please contact one of our early literacy specialists at Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center to schedule an assessment. They can be reached at 773-687-9241 or info@cptwc.com

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