Your child will make sentences using common or high frequency words.
Learning Area(s): Reading and Writing
MATERIALS
- word list (see Tips)
- printable die or plastic die
- 20 index cards, sticky notes, or small pieces of paper
- something to write with
LET'S PLAY
Get ready for the activity by writing one common or high frequency word on each card. Put the cards on the table, face up. If using, print and assemble the die.
Explain the activity to your child: “Today we are going to make sentences by using common words to make a sentence. We will roll the die to see how many words we should use in the sentence.” Demonstrate by rolling the die, selecting that number of cards, and making a short sentence. For example, if you rolled a 4, your sentence could be She ate a jump.
Take turns rolling the die and making sentences. Encourage your child to read each sentence that they make!
TIPS
- To find the appropriate words for your child, look at the Dolch word lists or the Fry word lists. Don’t forget to add some words from the grade levels below! You can also include your child’s spelling words from their teacher.
- Or choose from the following words to create grammatically correct sentences: the, a, an, I, you, he, she, they, his, her, hers, their/theirs, my, your, said, look, had, make/makes, put, let, found, read, know/knows, jump/jumps, ate, people, word, water, number, boys, girls, day, animal, house, farm, little, good, large, small, yellow, funny, red, new, pretty, cold, many, two, to, at, from, with, in, under, off, because, so, or, and
- Different schools use different research-based word lists. Don’t worry if your child isn’t familiar with some of the words!
- If the task is too easy for your child, add words from a word list above your child’s grade level or words related to a high-interest area (for example, if they love dinosaurs, add words like stegosaurus or claws).