Picky the Puppet
Your child will find words that end with the letter(s) that Picky the Puppet chooses.
Learning Area(s): Reading and Writing
MATERIALS
- puppet, stuffed animal, or toy
- notecard or piece of paper
- marker
- printed materials (newspapers, magazines, books, advertisements, etc.)
- optional: scissors and glue or tape
LET'S PLAY
Get ready for the activity by writing “I only like words that end with the letter ___.” on a notecard or piece of paper.
Show the puppet or stuffed animal. Say, “This is Picky the Puppet. Someone who is picky only likes things a certain way. Picky only likes words that end with a special letter. Picky is going to help us play our game today.” Hold up the notecard and say, “This is Picky’s sign. It says ‘I only like words that end with the letter p.'” Explain the activity to your child: “So, we have to find words that end with the letter p, like in the words help and lollipop, to make Picky happy.”
Look in the printed materials. “Look, I found the word ___. It ends with the letter p. Now it’s your turn to find a word that ends with p and the /p/ sound.” As your child finds words, encourage them to read the words. If you’d like, you or your child can cut out the words they find and add them to Picky’s sign.
You can repeat this game on the same day or on another day with another letter from Picky!
TIPS
- If this activity is too difficult for your child, have them look for words that start with a given letter.
- If this activity is too easy for your child, have them look for words that start with blends (for example: st, bl, tr, fr) or digraphs (for example: th, ch, sh).
- Your child can look for uppercase or lowercase letters.
- Try allowing your child to choose the toy to be “Picky.” A dinosaur can be picky by only eating words that end with the letter, or a toy garbage truck can be picky by only hauling away words that end with the letter, etc.
