Welcome back to Read Not Guess. Today we’re going to work on the “ai” sound like in the words “rain” or “pain.”
Both parent and child will need to be able to see the screen.
Let’s get started.
Today’s Letter Sounds
Explain to your child that the "ai” letter combination usually makes a long “a” sound in words like "rain" and "pain."
Have them say the sounds as they point to the letters:
r ai n
r ain
rain
Did they get it right? Make sure they’re reading the word “rain” as one sound by the end. Let’s do some more:
pain
gain
train
stain
chain
And:
aid
raid
paid
maid
And:
bait
wait
traitor
Exception!
Unfortunately, English has some funny rules, and the “ai” makes a different sound when it is followed by an “r.”
One example of this is a very common word that means two things that match, like in the sentence, “I have a pair of shoes.” Have your child point to the letters as they read the word “pair” three times:
p ai r
p air
pair
Have them read a few more “air” words:
hair
chair
stair
Silly Sentences
See if your child can read these:
Where is the waiter? I need a drink of water.
Who will go to the fair with me?
My brain hurts.
If they read these smoothly, great! If they stumble, have them keep practicing.
That’s it for today. We’ll see you next time.