Your child will try to guess simple words that you say in parts. This blending of sounds is a pre-reading skill.
Learning Area(s): Reading and Writing
MATERIALS
Five to ten pictures of common animals/objects that are one-syllable words (bug, bus, car, dog, cat, cup, fish, etc.)
LET'S PLAY
Begin by reviewing the names of all the picture cards so that your child is familiar with the names of the items. Tell your child that you are going to play a mystery word game. Explain that your child will be the detective and will have to figure out the word based on its parts. Next, lay out all the picture cards so that your child can see them. Say to your child, “I am going to say a word in two parts…/b/ and /ug/. /B/ and /ug/ blended together says ‘bug!’ Let’s find the bug picture. Now, it’s your turn to guess the mystery word. The parts of the next word are /b/ and /us/. /B/…/us/. What do you think that word is?” If the child guesses correctly, he can keep the card. Continue playing this game until your child has guessed all the words.
TIPS
- If needed, repeat the word slowly, with exaggeration, and ask your child to watch your mouth and listen carefully. For example, say, “/b/…/ug/, /b/…/ug/, /b/…/ug/.”
- If your child is overwhelmed by too many pictures to choose from, you can put out three pictures at a time. After he guesses the word, put out three other pictures and play again.
- Once your child is good at this game, you can play it without any picture cards. Just think of a word and say the sounds for your child to blend together and guess the word.
- If your child is able, he can take a turn to look at the picture cards and break apart a word for you to guess. This is a fairly advanced skill, however, so don’t worry if your child is not quite ready for this task.