Welcome back to Read Not Guess. Today is a review day. We’ll do a Rhyming Challenge, give you a Silly Story to read with your child, and show you how to play the classic “Memory” game for your kids to practice what they’re learning.
Rhyming Challenge
This is a speaking game. Say each word pair. See if your child can come up with a new word that ends with the same sound (it rhymes).
say/ may
how/ cow
pick/ lick
me/ she
jar/ car
ark/ stark
Made-up words are ok at this point, but gently correct them if they say something that is not a rhyme. Say the word pair again, slowly and clearly, so they can hear the difference.
If your child struggled with any of the words, go back and have them do it again. Repeated practice is good for kids.
Letters and Sounds Quiz
How is your child doing with their letters and blends? Ask them to say the correct sounds as they point to the letters:
ay
ick
th
oy
pl
gr
sh
Silly Story
See if your child can read this:
Hi Sally.
Hi Willy.
Did you go to the show yesterday?
Me?
Yes, you.
Yes, I went to the show. But it was slow, and I did not want to stay. Did you go?
Me? I went as well. It was pretty, and I got to be with my family.
We haven’t covered the word “you” yet, but was your son or daughter able to sound it out based on the sounds they know? If they struggled, have them point to the word as they read it again:
you
you
you
Word Memory Game
To help your child master the words they’re learning, play the “Memory” game. You'll need one (or more) sheets of paper, scissors, and a pen or pencil.
You can do this with any number of words, but let’s say you want your child to practice 8 words. You’ll need to fold a piece of paper into 16 squares (see here if you need help) and cut them out.
Write one word per slip of paper, and make sure it has a matching pair. (That is, write each word on two different slips of paper.) You can pick any words your child has struggled with, or I’ll recommend the words:
thick
thin
then
that
to
you
go
try
To start the game, lay out each of the slips of paper with the words facing down. The first person chooses two words to flip over (and read the words correctly). If they read the word correctly and they match, the player gets to keep the pair and try for two more. If the words do not match, turn them back over and let the next person take their turn.
The game continues until all the words have been correctly matched. The person with the most pairs wins. Play again, or add more words to make it more difficult.
That’s it for today. See you next time.