Dear Parents:

Part 4

Other Suggestions and Activities

As outlined at the beginning of the word bank there are many different activities that can be used to help your child learn the basic phonetic elements. A suggestion has been made to use word cards for the various sounds that you are teaching. Below you will find other activities that you might find helpful when teaching phonics.

1. Learn the alphabet by using soup or cereals that have the

letters of the alphabet.

2. Use letter molds to create the alphabet out of jello.

3. Make the alphabet out of 8x12 cardboard squares and stick

them together.Make them so that each letter fills the

card. Now make a second set of alphabet cards that are

the same size. They will not be taped together. Use them

to place over the huge long alphabet that you first

made and taped together.

4. The word cards can have a tiny strip of magnetic tape

attached to the back of them. Make a small fishing

pole, a magnet replacing the hook. Now any word list can

be used. The children will have hours of fun.

5. Bingo is another favorite. Use any of the sets of word

cards to play bingo. Make a set of bingo cards,depending

on the number of players you wish to have playing.

6. Darts can also be used to learn any of the different

word lists. Obtain a backboard about three feet square.

Place a large piece of paper over the backboard and

divide the paper into about six squares.With a marker

write in six of the words that you are working with.

Throw darts at the words,then they must read the word that

they have hit. Hours of fun.

7. When you are working with a particular sound,take that

group of words and make then into sentences. If for

example you were working with short A words then you

could create sentences such as the following.

A RAT SAT. A RAT SAT AT A MAT. A RAT HAD A HAT.

A RAT HAD A FAN. A RAT HAD A FAT BAG.

When two or more short vowels have been learned the

sentences can contain several of the sounds learned.

8. Once you have created sentences you might wish to leave

out key words and see if the child can figure out the

correct word to complete the sentence. EG. A ____ sat.

Rat would be the correct response although any other word

that has been learned and makes sense in the sentence

would be acceptable.

9. Once this type of procedure has been taught to the child

and a few sounds have been mastered then you can have fun

writing letters to each other. Leave out a few letters

and see if they can figure out the message.

Eg. H_. I w_ll b_ h_m_ _t 4:00 P.M. D_ n_t g_ ou_

unt_l I c_m_ h_m_.

L_v_ M_m

This little note would read. Hi. I will be home at 4:00

P.M. Do not go out until I come home.

Love Mom

10. Raised word cards are fun. Print a word on cardboard with a felt marker. Outline the word with white glue. While the glue is wet sprinkle it with sand. When dry these words can be traced with a finger. They will be rough and raised. Your child can help making the words as this is a further learning experience.

11. Use blocks that have letters on every side. Use them to spell out words they are working with.

12. Search magazines and newspapers for words that they can read. This helps make reading have a purpose and become part of their day.

13. Use an old "Snakes and Ladder" game. If you are working with the short vowel words for example then print the word "cat" on one side of the card. On the other side print a sentence. " The cat is fat". Make several of these cards using the group of words you are working on and vary the length of the sentences, Now have the child read the word and then turn over the card and read the sentence. The number of words in the sentence determines the number of moves the player makes. This game can be used over amd over again, simply change the word cards to the type of words you are working on.