Before we can expect our new readers to sound out words with confidence and success, they need to have a strong handle on beginning sounds. Some kids pick these up with little or no effort from us. Reading to my oldest two kids (now ages 6 and 5) , singing alphabet songs, and talking about the sounds letters make was all I needed to do . Their next sibling (now age 3 1/2) hasn't picked them up as easily. He has ... Read More
Short u word family mats
My Five is such a busy boy. It makes me glad he missed the kindergarten cut off by just a few days, because he really needs time to mature and learn to control his energy! Doing seat work is not #1 on his list, and he's not always thrilled about the activities I have him do that I share on my blog. But do you know he's never once complained about doing Read 'n Stick mats? Must be that Velcro. :) If my read 'n stick ... Read More
Free Word Family Houses – short u
Hurray!! We're on our final set of short vowel word family houses. Short u word family houses Word family houses are so versatile! Follow the simple assembly instructions and use them in a few different ways: 1) Have your little one read a few before you dive into a decodable book. 2) Let this be your phonics practice before you start reading a stack of sight word or leveled readers. 3) Practice reading short ... Read More
Give Me a Clue spelling game
The great thing about this free spelling game is that besides having kids practice writing their spelling words, it gives them the opportunity to analyze and compare the words in their list. Read on to learn how! Here's what you'll need: a copy of the game board (get it at the end of this post) a die playing pieces each spelling word written on a piece of paper and put in a cup a complete spelling list to use ... Read More
7 Letter Y Crafts and Process Art for Preschoolers
7 Letter Y Crafts and Process Art for Preschoolers Y is for Yellow My Three had fun finding miscellaneous craft items to glue to his yellow Y. He's known his colors for quite some time, but it was good to keep talking about the word yellow and the sound we hear at the beginning of it. Y's sound is a hard one to master because you don't hear the sound /y/ in the name of the letter. (Don't be surprised if your ... Read More
Letter N Crafts for Preschoolers
Letter N Crafts for Preschoolers I have three big kids (ages 3, 5, and 6), two of whom are learning preschool at home. So I can usually find someone interested in doing some arts and crafts with me! N is for Nest This is obviously not process art, but my Three really enjoyed it. I cut out the pieces for him, and he glued everything down. I found this Letter N craft idea at Rockabye Butterfly. Get the pattern for ... Read More
Teach preschoolers to write the alphabet – Letter N
How do you teach preschoolers to write the alphabet? Read on to learn what's working at our house. Read on to find creative ways for making the letter N! First they put nuts on the letter N (with the promise to have five when they were done!). My Three was proud of the work he did with his number stickers. My Five used spaghetti noodles. Excitement was high when I let him use Daddy's nails to make ... Read More
Short e word family mats
I've been busy creating more word family activities -- today I'm sharing 7 free mats for short e! Just print the mats and cards, laminate, and attach velcro dots. You'll have a durable and lasting learning center to use in the classroom or at the kitchen table. Have fun! (This post contains affiliate links.) I've already shared three sets of Read 'n Stick mats - but if this is your first set, you'll want to ... Read More
Free Word Family Houses – Short e
(This post contains affiliate links.) Time for more short vowel word family houses! So far I've shared short a, short i, and short o. We're on the home stretch! Today you'll find downloads for seven free word family houses for short e. We love finding fun ways to practice word families. Here are some of the things we've done: We've spelled with milk cap letters. We played Word Family Uno. We used Read 'n ... Read More
Free dot sticker page for letter N: Fine motor letter formation!
I love making these simple dot sticker pages to use with my Three. They reinforce the letter's name, sound, and shape - and give opportunity for fine motor letter formation at the same time. (This post contains affiliate links.) Free dot sticker page for letter N: Fine motor letter formation! Don't you just love that bird? She looks like she's been sitting on her nest a little too long. (I'm seven months ... Read More