Backwards Day
Your child will practice reading past tense words with -ed as they play a game.
Learning Area(s): Reading and Writing
MATERIALS
- scissors
- Silly Sammy’s Usually and Yesterday schedule and list of Yesterday activities (printable)
LET'S PLAY
Before you begin, print Silly Sammy’s usual schedule and the Yesterday activities. Cut out each activity from the “Yesterday” list. If you don’t have a printer, you can make the materials using the documents as a guide.
To get started, tell your child, “Let’s play a game! Each year, Silly Sammy celebrates Backwards Day by doing everything they usually do, but backward or in the opposite order. Silly Sammy wants to tell some friends about what happened on Backwards Day, but they need our help to put the activities in order. Let’s learn more about Silly Sammy’s day and practice saying words Silly Sammy can use to say what happened in the past.”
Read through the activities that Silly Sammy usually does, focusing on the underlined action word (I shower). Then work with your child to arrange the activities in reverse order using the sentences you cut out. Talk with your child about each part of Silly Sammy’s special Backwards Day by focusing on the underlined word (I showered). You might prompt your child to fill in the blank by saying, “Usually at 7:00, I shower. On Backwards Day at 7:00, I ___.” The repetition will help your child see and hear the pattern of words ending in -ed when they happened in the past. When all the Backwards Day activities are in order, have your child read the activities Silly Sammy completed that day.
TIPS
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- If your child has difficulty reading the bold word on the “Usually” side of the schedule, encourage them to point under the beginning of the word and try to say each sound slowly as they blend the word.
- If your child does not know which -ed sound makes the word sound right (/t/ like in looked, /d/ like in enjoyed, or /ed/ like in painted), they may not be familiar with the base word or the past tense version of it. You can cover the -ed ending to show the original word, explain what it means, and then tell them which sound -ed makes for that word. Ask your child to read the word and then read the sentence again.
- If your child struggles to put the Backwards Day activities in order, provide support: “The first thing Silly Sammy usually does is dress himself. On Backwards Day, will he dress first or last?”
