PRINT ACTIVITY

Change a Letter

Your child will move letters around to make words and read the words.

Learning Area(s): Reading and Writing

MATERIALS

  • sticky notes, note cards, or small pieces of paper
  • something to write with

LET'S PLAY

Before the activity, write these letters on individual sticky notes: A, O, C, M, P, and T.

Start by explaining the activity to your child: “Today you will read a word made with three letters. Then you’ll change one letter to make a new word. I’ll show you how to do it.” 

Using the sticky notes, make the word MAP in front of your child so that they can read it from left to right. “Read the word with me.” Blend the letter sounds together as you sweep your finger under them from left to right: “MAP.”  

“Now I’m going to change the P to T.” Remove the letter P and replace it with the letter T. “What word do we have now?” Blend the sounds as you sweep your finger under the letters: “MAT.”

“Let’s see how many words you can make!” Have your child read each word they create.

TIPS

  • The words your child creates do not have to be real words! The goal of this activity is to practice reading words.
  • You can do this activity with uppercase or lowercase letters.
  • If your child needs support, ask them to touch each letter and say its sound with you. Then show them how you blend each letter’s sound together to read the word.
  • If your child wants a challenge, you might consider adding a timer to see how many words your child can make and read in one minute.
  • To challenge your child, add more letters, consonant blends (e.g., TR, ST, FL), digraphs (e.g., CH, TH, SH), or common vowel combinations (e.g., EE, EA, OO).

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