Your child will identify and match common letter combinations to pieces of clothing.
Learning Area(s): Reading and Writing
MATERIALS
- yarn or string to use as a clothesline
- clothespins
- two chairs
printable clothing items, cardstock cut into clothing shapes, or clothing items cut from magazines or advertisements- marker
LET'S PLAY
Begin by stringing a clothesline between two chairs. Be sure to move the chairs out of the way or against a wall so that no one trips or falls into the string.
Take 10 clothespins and write a different blend/digraph on each clothespin. Blends and digraphs can appear at the beginning of a word, like in store or cheese; in the middle of the word, like in monster or nachos; or at the end of the word, like in last or couch. There is a list of additional blends and digraphs in Tips. Invite your child to help you place the clothespins on the clothesline.
Place the clothing cutouts in a small basket. Have your child match the blend/digraph on the clothespins to the picture as they hang the “laundry.” For example, a shirt would be clipped to sh and the jacket would be clipped to ck. Ask your child to sound out each word as they hang the pieces of laundry. If they need help, have them sound out the word with the blend or digraph with you, and ask them to repeat the word.
TIPS
- You can challenge your child to come up with words that begin with the same blend/digraph they are hanging up, or words that have it in the middle or at the end.
- Some common blends (consonants blended together) and digraphs (two letters that make one sound) include:
| Beginning and middle 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 (beginning, middle, or end) | ch, ck, gh, ph, sh, th, wh |