Creating Little Words
Target Age:
Late Four-Year Old
Materials You Will Need:
magnetic letters
What To Do:
Bring a variety of magnetic letters, (preferably all lower case) to a table and invite your child to begin spelling words. Choose either a, i, or o to start with and make sure your child knows the sound of the selected vowel. If your child is ready, proceed to add letters to make two letter words, such as: at, am, as, ad. It's okay if your child doesn't make a real word or spells the word correctly, (like 'ad'), at first. (You're really just introducing the concept of blending letters together to make little words.) Continue with short i to make the words in, it, id, is, etc. This activity will reinforce sound discrimination as well as introduce the idea of spelling without the added task of handwriting. Your child can, of course, write the words on paper after creating them to share with another family member.
Skills Learned:
- Visual Discrimination
- Sound Discrimination
- Listening
- Language Development
Activity Category: