A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

READ*WRITE*NOW Activities for Reading and Writing Fun - May 1997

BEGINNING TO READ

Preschool through Grade 2

The Sound Shopping Trip

Listening for the first sounds in words is an important step in learning to connect language and reading.

What you'll need:
  • Magazines or catalogs with pictures of objects children know.
What to do:
  • Have your child choose a magazine or catalog. Invite your child to go on a make-believe shopping trip. Tell your child you will make believe you are shopping for things in the magazine.

    Have your child close his or her eyes. Point to an object on the page. Then have your child open his or her eyes. Ask "What are you going to buy?" If your child says, "A hat," ask, "What sound does hat start with?"

    Then say, "Good. Hat starts with the sound h."

  • Repeat the steps, with each of you taking a turn shopping for something and then naming the first sound of the word that describes it.

Now You Hear It, Now You Don't

Hearing and saying the parts of words help prepare children to learn to read.

What you'll need:
  • A list of words with two parts, like baseball, raincoat, sunshine, and motorcycle.
What to do:

  • Sit beside your child. Tell the child that you will say a word and then you will leave off part of the word. Ask your child to tell you what part you left off.

    For example, tell the child, "Let's say sunshine without sun; what part is left? That's right, shine." Repeat this activity with another word: "Let's say motorcycle without motor; what part is left? That's right, cycle." "Now you try it. Say 'manhole' without man."

  • As your child learns this game, try leaving off the last part of words (manhole without hole is man; motorcycle without cycle is motor).

1-2-3

Each sound in a word is important. To help your child begin to read, practice this game of listening and naming each sound in a word.

What you'll need:
  • Pictures of objects that are familiar to your child, cut from magazines or newspapers. The names of the objects should have three sounds such as s-u-n, m-a-n, d-o-g, c-a-t, p-i-g, and c-o-w.
What to do:
  • Sit across from your child at a small table or on the floor. Put the pictures face down in the middle of the table.

    Tell your child, "Let's play a game called 1-2-3. You pick a picture. When I hold up one finger, you say the first sound of the word describing the picture. When I hold up two fingers, tell me the next sound. When I hold up three fingers, tell me the last sound."

    "Let me show you how." Select a picture and say the word, for example, sun. Hold up one finger and say s. Hold up two fingers and say u. Hold up three fingers and say n. "The sounds in sun are s-u-n."

    "Now, you try it." Your child picks a picture and names the picture. "Good, that is a dog. Tell me the sounds in dog." Hold up one finger for the d. Then, hold up two fingers for the o. Then, hold up three fingers for the g. "Good, the sound in dog are d-o-g.

  • Do this again with other words. If pictures with three sounds are easy for your child, you may want to find pictures with four sounds.

Same Sounds Game

Before children can read words, they need to know the sounds of letters. This game gives children practice in matching sounds and letters.

What you'll need:
  • A set of index cards or pieces of paper on which you've written a few capital letters of the alphabet--one letter on each card. Make another set with the same letters. Start with 8 to 10 letters. Add more letters as your child learns more.
What to do:

  • Mix up the alphabet cards and place them face down on the table.

    Tell your child, "We're going to play a game in which you try to find two of the same sounds. When you find two that are the same and you say the sound, you get to pick up the cards. Let me show you how."

    Turn over one card (for example, T ) and say the sound t. Turn over another card (for example, S) and say the sound s. Ask, "Are the sounds the same?" Your child says no. "That's right, they are not the same, so I don't get to pick them up."

    "It's your turn to find the ones that are the same." Your child turns over one card and says the sound, then picks a second card and says the sound. If they are the same, your child gets to keep the cards. Then your child gets to pick two more cards. If the cards are not the same, turn the cards face down and have your child try again.

    If your child does not know the sound, say "This sound is s."

    The goal of the game is to pick up all the cards.

Letter-Sound Grab Bag

Here's another way to practice the sounds of letters. In this game, children practice naming letter-sounds correctly and quickly.

What you'll need:
  • A set of cards on which you've written some letters of the alphabet. (Start with just a few letters; add more letters as your child learns more.) A small paper bag. A timer or watch with a second hand.
What to do:
  • Put a few letters having sounds your child knows into a paper bag. Tell your child that you want to see how many sounds he or she can name in one minute.

    "When I say Start, you reach into the bag and pull out one card. Say the sound and then reach in to get another. Keeping picking out the cards until I say Stop. If you don't know a sound, I'll tell it to you, and you put it back in the bag."

    At the end of the minute, count the number of sounds your child named correctly.

    If your child does not know a sound, say "This sound is s."

  • Do this game again. Encourage your child to name more sounds than the last time you played together.

The Color of Sounds

Knowing the sound of a letter is one of the most important steps before learning to read words. Here's a game to practice the sounds of letters.

What you'll need:
  • A picture from a coloring book, a blank sheet of paper, and crayons.
What to do:

  • Sit beside your child and say, "I'll write a letter on this paper. If you can tell me the sound of the letter and two words for things that start with that sound, you get to color one part of the picture."

    "Let's try one." Write a letter on the paper. Start with one you are sure your child knows. Have your child name the sound. "That's right, the sound is t. Can you name two things that start with t? Very good, table and turtle start with t. Pick a part of the picture to color."

    If your child does not know the sound, say, "This sound is t. Let's try another." Write another sound and come back to the t the next try.

  • Do this again with other sounds until all parts of the picture are colored.

Word Snakes

Children become excited about reading when they begin to use the letter-sounds they know to read words. An important part of reading words is learning to blend the sounds to make a word.

What you'll need:
  • A list of easy words that have letters with sounds your child knows. Some good words to start with are : 
    
Sam        rag        fin man        mad        fan ran        sit        fat tan        sat        fit am         dig        dim
    A piece of paper with a wavy line on which you can write words.
What to do:
  • Ask your child, "Do you know how snakes can make the ssssssssss sound for a long time? We're going to say the sounds in words just the way a snake does. We'll stretch out the sounds. Let me show you how."

    Write a word on the snake line. "I'm going to say the word fan the way a snake would--ffffffaaaaaannnnn." As you say each sound, trace your finger along the snake line. "The word is fan."

  • Invite your child to say a new word the way a snake would. Draw a new snake and write three new letters on it (run). "Good, you read run the snake way."

  • Then write the word run on a straight line and have your child read the word the fast way--run. Do this again with other easy words. First, have your child read the word the snake way, then read it the fast way.

Words I've Heard and Silly Words

When children learn to read, they use the letter-sounds they already know to make new words. In this game, children make words, some familiar and some not.

What you'll need:
  • Three containers (small boxes or margarine tubs). Small pieces of paper with letters that have sounds your child knows. Make several copies of the letters that are used often in words, such as a, s, t, r, e, n, i, g.
What to do:
  • Sit beside your child. Put the three containers in front of you. Place vowels in the middle container. Put consonants in the first and last containers.

    Tell your child, "We're going to make words using letters in these containers. Some will be words you've heard, and some will be silly words. I'll show you how to make a word."

    Pick a letter from the first container and say its sound (for example, t). Pick a letter from the next container (for example, i). Pick a letter from the last container (for example, g). Now, I'll put the sounds together, tttiiig. The word is tig.

    Ask your child, "Is that a word you've heard or is that a silly word? That's right, it's a silly word."

  • "Okay, it's your turn to make a word." Have your child select a letter from each container and make new words.

In the News

Once children learn to read words, it is important for them to practice reading those words again and again. Children soon learn that words they know are in many things we read.

What you'll need:
  • A newspaper or magazine. A colored marker or highlighter. Scissors, a piece of paper, and paste or glue. A blank piece of paper.
What to do:
  • Pick a page in the newspaper. Go through the page circling or highlighting words your child can read. Tell your child, "Today, we're going to find words so that you can make your own newspaper of words on this paper."

    "In this game, you read the words I've marked. Each one you read, you cut out and glue onto this blank piece of paper. We'll add more words each day. Soon you'll have a full page of words you know from the newspaper."

Letter Swap

Good readers learn to recognize and make new words by swapping letters within words. In this activity, children build new words by swapping letter-sounds.

What you'll need:
  • Two words written in large print. The first word is a whole word (such as sat). The second word has a blank for the first letter (_at). A set of letters (g, s, t, m, p, r, h, f, k, l) with each letter written on a separate piece of paper.
What to do:
  • Sit beside your child. Put the large-print words in front of your child.

    sat
    _at

    Say, "We're going to see how many words we can make like sat. I'll pick a letter from the pile. My sound is r. I can change sat to rat. Put the r in the blank space in front of at."

  • Have your child do this again, picking different letters and making new words. Change to a new word such as map or fill.

  • Do this activity often with new words.

Spell Down

After children know letter-sounds and can read short words, they can begin to write the words they read. Spelling out words strengthens children's reading skills.

What you'll need:
  • A set of pictures of objects that are familiar to your child and have names that are easy to spell (sun, man, dog, cat, fan, rug). These can be cut from magazines. Colored markers, pens or pencils, and paper.
What to do:
  • Put the pictures face down in the middle of the table. Your child selects the top picture, names the picture, and then spells the word.

    If your child misses a letter, have him or her sound out the word and try again to spell it. You may need to write the word for your child before the child names the object and tries to spell the word for it again.

The Match Game

Some words cannot be read by saying the sounds in the word. Words like the, said, are, don't, have, one, two, love, and you must be learned as whole words.

What you'll need:
  • Ten pieces of paper or cards with one word written on each piece (start with the, said, are, etc.). Another set of 10 cards with the same words written on them.
What to do:

  • Mix the words together. Give your child five cards, and give yourself five cards. Put the rest of the cards in a pile, face down on the table.

    Both of you pick up your cards to see if you have two words that are the same among all your cards. If so, say the word and put them down as a pair. Then pick two more cards from the pile.

    If neither of you has a pair, draw a card from the pile. Take turns until all the cards have been drawn or one player has gotten rid of all of his or her cards.

    The player with the most matching pairs is the winner.

Word Tag

It is important for children to read words in sentences and stories, so they realize that reading is about understanding.

What you'll need:
  • An easy-to-read story with many words your child can already sound out or read.
What to do:

  • Tell your child, "In this story, I'll read some of the words and you'll read some words. When it's your turn to read a word, I will tap your shoulder." Start reading. As you come to a word that your child can read, tap the child's shoulder.

  • Keep taking turns reading the story. You can go back and reread parts of the same stories for extra practice.

Story Reruns

One of the ways children learn to read quickly and correctly is to have repeated practice reading the same words.

What you'll need:
  • A short story with words your child can sound out or read as whole words.
What to do:
  • Tell your child, "You're going to read the same story two times. Each time you read it, try to read more words correctly."

  • At the end of the first reading, help your child with any words that the child missed or took a long time to figure out. Then ask your child to read the story again.

  • Then have your child tell you what the story was about. In story reading, you want to make sure that your child thinks about what is read.

Story Sprint

After children can read words correctly, they can begin to work on speed.

What you'll need:
  • A story with words your child can sound out or read as whole words. A watch or timer.
What to do:
  • Tell your child, "In this game, you're going to read a story as if you're in a race. Each time you read the story, try to read it faster with fewer mistakes."

    Set the timer for one minute. Remind your child to read as quickly and correctly as possible. Say, "Start." Begin timing. At the end of the minute, say, "Stop," and count the number of words read correctly.

  • Help your child with words he or she did not know. Have your child read the same story again for one minute. Count the number of words read correctly. Compare the number of words to the number read in the first reading. Have your child read the story a third time.

  • Say, "When you practice reading the same story again and again, you can read faster and faster. Good job."


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