Language Arts

Letters 

1. Have your child use a permanent marker to hunt for specific letters in 
the pantry or newspaper. Your child can just circle the letter every time 
he/she finds it. Before dinner every night, pull out your can for the 
evening and have your child touch each letter that is circled and say the 
letter name and sound. 
2. Eye Spy in the Car: While driving down the road, play Eye Spy. I spy a 
letter that makes the /d/ sound, an animal that starts with /k/, the capital 
letter W, etc. 
3. On the Go Alphabetical Order: Keep a magnetic cookie sheet and a tub with 
magnetic letters in the car. Have your child practice putting the letters in 
ABC order. Your child could also spell sight words. 
4.Pudding Bags: Activity is listed in the sight word section of the web 
page. Just have your child practice letter writing instead of sight words. 
Make sure he/she says the letter name as well as the letter sound. 

Most activities that are listed under the sight word section of the web page 
can be modified to use with letters and sounds. 
 
  
 
Beginning & Ending Sounds 
 
1. Picture Card Sort: Have your child cut pictures from magazines and 
newspaper ads. The pictures can be glue onto index cards to allow them to be 
used over and over again. Lay out all of the picture cards. Sort the 
pictures by beginning sounds or ending sounds. Make letter cards to place 
above each sorted pile of cards. 
2. Shout It Out: This game can be played while in the car or taking a walk. 
Say three words. For example... red, rabbit, rope. Your child should shout 
out the sound at the beginning of the word. You can alter the game by saying 
three words that end the same. For example, hat, pot, great. If you choose 
to play the game with ending sounds, making a list of words to use would be 
a good idea. It takes much more time to come up with words that end the 
same. 
 
  
 
Segmenting & Blending 
 
1. Blending Slap Jack- Using picture cards, lay cards out face up on the 
table. Say a picture card word very slowly... /c/a/t/. Your child will slap 
the correct picture... cat. Continue until all cards have been slapped. 
 
  
 
Rhyming 
 
1. Odd Ball Out- Say three words. Two of the words need to rhyme. Have your 
child call out the two words that do not rhyme. For a challenge, have your 
child say why the words rhyme. For example, cat and bat rhyme because they 
both have the /at/. Once your child can do this easily, have him/her name 
the word that does not rhyme.

Reading

. Plan enough time (10-15 minutes) to read aloud, to enjoy and discuss the 
story. 

2. Choose stories that respond to children's experiences and interest. 

3. Preview that book yourself, so that you can inticipate questions or 
reactions. 

4. Introduce the book, pointing out the title, cover, author and 
illustrator. 

5. Read with expression that reflects the tone of the story or characters. 

6. Allow children time to discuss pictures and make predictions. 

7. Save time at the end to ask questions and discuss the story.