Your child will look for common letter combinations in printed materials.
Learning Area(s): Reading and Writing
MATERIALS
- magazines, newspapers, advertisements, etc. that your child can write on
- crayon, marker, or highlighter
- optional: magnifying glass
LET'S PLAY
Spread out some magazines and newspapers on a table or on the floor.
Tell your child that they are going to be a detective! Explain that their job is to use their magnifying glass to find consonant blends (two letters blended together) at the beginning of words.
Start with one blend, like st. You might say, “Your first detective job is to search for the blend st, like at the beginning of the word stop.” If your child is unsure of what this blend looks like, write the blend or find a word that has the blend in it. Encourage your child to use the magnifying glass to find for as many words with this blend as they can. Your child can mark the blends with a crayon, marker, or highlighter. When they’ve finished, try another letter combination!
TIPS
- Some children may enjoy flipping through a whole magazine or grocery store ad, while other children may need to focus on just one page at a time.
- Your child can also search for blends throughout the house. Have your child look for blends on pantry items, books, games, toys, etc.
- You and your child may notice that the same letter can look slightly different depending on font and size. Talk about these comparisons and help your child understand that they are still the same letter.
- You might challenge your child to find consonant blends at the end of a word, like in the words mask and wasp.
- Your child can also search for digraphs (two letters that make one sound). Some common blends and digraphs include:
| Beginning consonant blends | br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr, bl, fl, gl, pl, sl, sc, sk, sm, sn, sp, st, sw, tw, qu |
| Ending consonant blends | st, sk, sp, nd, nt, rk, nk, mp, rd, ld, lp, lt, lf, pt, ft, ct |
| Digraphs | ch, ck, gh, ph, sh, th, wh |