Here's another way to practice the sounds of letters. In this game, children practice naming letter-sounds correctly and quickly.
What you'll need:
* A set of cards on which you've written some letters of the alphabet. (Start with just a few letters; add more letters as your child learns more.) A small paper bag. A timer or watch with a second hand.
What to do:
* Put a few letters having sounds your child knows into a paper bag. Tell your child that you want to see how many sounds he or she can name in one minute.
"When I say Start, you reach into the bag and pull out one card. Say the sound and then reach in to get another. Keeping picking out the cards until I say Stop. If you don't know a sound, I'll tell it to you, and you put it back in the bag."
At the end of the minute, count the number of sounds your child named correctly.
If your child does not know a sound, say "This sound is s."
* Do this game again. Encourage your child to name more sounds than the last time you played together.
READ*WRITE*NOW Activities for Reading and Writing Fun - May 1997
