While on the go, your child will practice taking sounds away from words. Playing with the sounds in words is part of phonological awareness, which is an important set of skills that helps children learn how to read and spell.
Learning Area(s): Reading and Writing
MATERIALS
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LET'S PLAY
While in the car, on the bus, or on a walk, tell your child you want to play a word game. Say, “Let’s play a word game! I’m going to tell you something I see and you have to say what it is without the beginning sound. Here’s what I mean: If I say, ‘Look! I see a car without the /c/,’ you would say, ‘You see an /ar/!’ Are you ready? I see a sign without the /s/.” Your child should say /ine/.
After your child can successfully take away the beginning sound from words, change the game to taking away the ending sound from words. “Sometimes I might switch it up and have you tell me what I see without the ending sound. I might say, ‘I see a car without /r/,’ and you would say ‘You see a /ca/.’ Let’s try one. I see a sign without /n/.” Your child should say /sigh/.
“Let’s play! I see a…”
Play until you reach your destination. If your child is able, take turns by having your child give you a word with a sound to take away!
TIPS
- When playing this game, focus on the sounds of letters and not the letter names. Letters inside slashes—for example, /n/—means the sound the letter makes.
- Start with one-syllable words. Some things you might see are: sun, sky, cloud, moon, star, car, van, bus, train, plane, tree, bush, grass, park, fence, fly, cat, dog, ant, house, school, stop, sign, light, etc.