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This page of
Half-Pint Kids offers valuable information, games and activities to go
along with the Half-Pint Readers. The first eight activities prepare your
child for reading and give specific instructions on how to teach and blend
the sounds. Games and activities to review and practice the skills follow.
Check back again as new activities will be added!
1. Snuggle Up
The best way to help your child become a good reader is of course, to read
to him daily. Join your local library for wonderful literature for
children. Let your child see you reading, too. Turn off the TV for a
reading hour each night. It’s a good way to snuggle up!
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2. Rhythm and Rhyme
Singing songs and nursery rhymes and playing clapping and rhythm games are
fun ways to develop reading readiness. Try chanting silly sentences like
“Hickety, Pickety Bumble Bee. Can you touch your nose for me?” Children
really enjoy this type of activity. There are many inexpensive children’s
cassettes and videos on the market that encourage rhythm and rhyme.
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3. I Spy
A favorite game of children is I Spy. It can be played anywhere and is a
great way to pass time while stuck in traffic. You can try, “I spy
something that rhymes with…” or “I spy something that begins with the same
sound as..”
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4. Phoneme Fun
Phonemes are the individual sounds that make words. Children need to be
able to hear and manipulate these sounds before they can begin to read.
Ask the child to count the syllables in a word…but-ter-fly…(3 sounds). Try
counting individual sounds in a word…f-l-a-g…(4 sounds).
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5. Say It Without…
Ask the child to say a word such as football. Then ask her to say it
without the “foot” (ball)…without the “ball” (foot)…without the “f” (ootball).
You can make it more challenging. Say plate. Ask the child to say it without
the “pl” (ate)… Now say it without the “p” (late).
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6. Sounds in Print
Phonological awareness is the next step to begin to read. Children need to
understand that there are symbols (letters) to represent the sounds we
speak and that these sounds blended together make up words. When teaching
the child phonological awareness, refer to the letter by its sound rather
than by its letter name. Referring to it by its sound is less confusing
because in several cases the letter name such as “y” does not correspond
to the sound it makes. The letter names can be taught later, after the
sounds are learned.
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7. Two At A Time
When teaching the sounds, use the lower case letters and introduce 2
consonant sounds at a time such as “b” and “t”. This way the child can
compare how they look and sound. Use small objects or picture cards to
match to the sound. Next introduce the sound of short “a” with objects and
picture cards.
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8. Ready to Blend
Once the child has mastered two consonant sounds and one vowel sound, it’s
time to blend. Here is an effective way to teach blending. On a dry-erase
board, draw three lines _ _ _. On each line print a sound: b a
t . Have
the child say each sound, pausing after each one: b , a , t . Repeat
several times, pausing after each sound. Next connect the lines: b a t and
ask the child to say the sounds again but this time by holding each sound
as they move to the next. Repeat several times a little faster until the
sounds are blended and the child can read the word! Try this method again
using the sounds: t a b. As more sounds are learned, try blending them
into new words, using the 3 line method.
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9. Change A Sound
This activity is a terrific way to manipulate phonemes and blend them into
new words. Using plastic lowercase letters, letter cards, or dry erase board,
ask the child to spell a 3 letter word using the sounds he has learned.
For example: bat . Ask him to change bat to cat by only taking away one
sound and replacing it with another. Then change cat to cap, then cap to
cop, etc.
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10. Language Experience
Ask the child to dictate sentences while you write them on a poster. Make
word cards using several words from the sentences. Ask the child to match
the word card to a word on the poster and glue it on top of the word.
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11. Guess the Word
Draw 3 lines on the magnetic wipe-off board _ _ _ and place 10 magnetic
letters at the top. Ask the child to choose a sound. If that sound is in
the word, place it on the correct line. If the sound is not in the word,
take a banana (or some other object) from a stuffed monkey (or other
animal) sitting nearby. The child tries to figure out the word before the
monkey loses all of his bananas!
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12. Concentration
Place six pairs of decodable word cards (or whatever skill you are working
on) face down in a pocket chart. Child turns over two cards at a time to
see if they match. Continue until all cards have been matched.
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13. Memory
Place six sight-word cards in a row on the table. The child reads the
words and places them face down. Say a word and the child must find it
from memory.
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14. What’s Missing?
Print 5 decodable words on a dry-erase board. Turn it around so the child
cannot see them and erase one word. Show the board to the child again and
he must say what word is missing.
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15. Cloze Exercise
Print 5 sentences on a magnetic dry-erase board with one word missing from
each sentence represented by a blank line. Display 5 magnetic word cards.
The child must fill in the blanks with a word that makes sense.
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16. Musical Words
Place word cards in a large circle on the carpet. Start the music and
students will slowly walk around the circle. Stop the music and each
student will stand by a card. The teacher says 2 words. Children standing
by those words will sit in the middle. Continue the game and the next two
children will change places with those in the middle so no one is “out”
for long.
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17. Find the Word First
Place a row of word cards face up in the middle of the carpet. Have two
teams each sit in a row on both sides of the word cards. (about 6 feet
back)
The teacher says a word. One player from each team tries to find the word
first and puts it in their team’s basket. The team with the most cards
wins.
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18. Bonus Basket Game
Divide the class into two teams. Show a word to the player on the first
team. If the student reads it correctly, her team gets a point. Then the
child will throw the ball in the basket. If the ball goes in, she scores
an extra point for her team!
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19. Word Bingo
List 10 words (decodable or sight words) on the board or place them in a
pocket chart. Tell the children to print their five favorite words in the
spaces on their bingo card. Play bingo by showing or saying the words from
the word list.
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20. Mystery Word
Place a mystery word or object under a stuffed animal or in a mystery box. Place
word cards face down on the carpet. Each child chooses a word and reads it
to the class and keeps the card. When all children have had a turn, look
at the mystery word and see who has the word or object that matches it.
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21. Roll a Word
Use phonics dice to roll out a consonant, a vowel and another consonant.
Sound out the word and write it.
22. Tactile Print
Spread peanut butter (or shaving cream, chocolate syrup, pudding, icing,
birdseed, etc.) on a table or plate. Tell the child to write a word in the
texture, using one finger. Check to see if it is correct, erase with one
finger and spell the next word.
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23. Big Books
Work with the class to write sentences on large white construction paper.
Then have the children work in small groups to illustrate each page.
Staple and read it to the class.
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24. Cross the Swamp (or desert, forest, etc.)
Place several hula-hoops and stuffed alligators, birds, etc. on the carpet
to look like a swamp. Place word cards at the edge of the swamp. Say a
word and the child will write it on a dry-erase board. Then the child can
cross the swamp to find that word card by stepping in the hula-hoops.
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25. Moveable Alphabet
Give partners several letters from a moveable alphabet including a vowel.
Let them manipulate the letters to make words and list them on a dry-erase
board. See who has the longest list.
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26. Scavenger Hunt
Hide picture cards or objects around the room. Give partners a word list
and small basket or bag to collect the things on their list. See who can
cross off their entire list.
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27. Memory List
Show 10 pictures in a pocket chart and name them. Then turn the cards
over. Students can work in small groups to list as many items as they can
remember.
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28. Missing Letter
Give each small group a basket of 8 plastic letters from the moveable
alphabet. Write a word on the chalkboard but leave out a letter… ch_p .
Say, “I want that word to say chip.” The first child from each group
brings the teacher the correct letter. Continue until all letters have
been used.
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29. Word Wall Chant
Give children word cards to match to words on the word wall. When matched,
everyone chants the spelling. “b-a-t spells bat.”
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30. Compare a Word
Choose a volunteer to point to and read a new word that has been added to
the word wall such as “hop”. Compare “hop” to other words. “It has 3
letters like…. It begins like…. It ends like….
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31. Word Wall Rhymes
Find words that rhyme with “sit”. Find words that rhyme with “nut”. Etc.
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32. Partner Spelling
Have partners choose a word from the word wall for each other to spell on
the dry-erase board.
Have them check each other to see if they are correct.
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33. Find a Word
Ask children to point to words that begin with “b…t…c…etc.” Find words
that end with “ing” “all” or “s” etc.
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34. Sound Toss
Make 6 columns on the chalkboard and label each with a sound that is
on a phonics dice. Child rolls a sound and records it in the correct
column. Watch the columns grow!
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