Play the "Sound Addition" Game

Welcome back to Read Not Guess. Today is a review day. After blending some words, we'll do some activities for your child to reinforce what they've been learning.

Let’s get started.

Word Practice

Have your child work on “blending” the letter sounds below. Have them point to the letters as they say the sounds. They can start slowly, but each time they should try to say it just a bit faster:

f ox

fox

And:

w ax

wax

And:

f ed

fed

And:

f ib

fib

And:

d ig

dig

And a couple harder ones:

f r om

from

And:

d r ip

dr ip

drip

"Decodable" Story

If you think your child is ready, see if they can read the story below. It was written and illustrated by my 10-year-old daughter.

Mat, hat, and a fat cat

Mat sat on a fat cat.

A fat cat sat on Mat.

A fat cat had a hat as it sat on Mat.

A fat cat sat on Mat and a hat.

Mat is mad at a fat cat.

A hat sat on Mat.

End.

Sound Addition

Here's a game you can play anywhere. Read your child the questions below and see if they can come up with the answers:

Question: What word do you get when you add the “p” and the “et” sounds?

Answer: p + et = pet

Question: What word do you get when you add the “s” and the “et” sounds?

Answer: s + et = set

Question: What word do you get when you add the “cuh” and the “up” sounds?

Answer: cuh + up = cup

(For ones like these, are they still saying "cuh-uh-puh?" If yes, have them keep blending the sounds until they're saying it cleanly as "cup" with no extra sounds in the middle or at the end.)

Let's do a couple more:

Question: What word do you make when you add the “p” and the “up” sounds?

Answer: p + up = pup

Question: What word do you make when you add the “p” and the “op” sounds?

Answer: p + op = pop

Question: What word do you make when you add the “huh” and the “op” sounds?

Answer: h + op = hop

Question: What word do you make when you add the “mmm” and the “op” sounds?

Answer: m + op = mop

If your child struggled with any of the words, go back and do them again. Repeated practice is good for kids.

For a harder challenge, swap roles. Have your child give you a word to guess based on a combination of sounds. Made-up words are fine! What's important here is for your child to hear the individual sounds and practice combining them together.

Note that this is a game you can play anywhere. Try it at the dinner table, in the car, or anytime you’re waiting around.

That’s it for today. We’ll see you next time!

P.S. If you think your child is ready for more decodable stories, look for the Bob Books at your local library or search for other "decodable books." I'd particularly recommend the free stories "I Sit, I Tap" or "Sid and Dad" from the University of Florida Literacy Institute.

P.P.S. If this lesson was WAY too easy for your child, you might try our Daily(ish) Decodable program.