Halloween Game: Idea #31

Halloween is the perfect time to play games. Have fun practicing letter sounds by playing the Halloween game below. Here is what you do:

1. The teacher/parent gives a copy of the following worksheet (or something similar) to their student:

2. The teacher/parent thinks of one of the pictures on the page and doesn't tell the student.

3. The teacher/parent gives a clue for what Halloween picture they are thinking of on the page. For example, "This Halloween picture begins with the B sound."

4. The student is to figure out what the teacher/parent is thinking of by looking at the pictures on the page.

5. The student might say, "Is it a bat?" When they know what the word is, they get to circle or cross out the picture.

6.  The teacher continues to give clues until all of the pictures on the page have been crossed out.

Happy Halloween!!

Halloween Letter Sound Worksheets: Idea #30

As a teacher I loved incorporating the holidays into my teaching. It made teaching exciting and the kids really enjoyed it. They even liked holiday worksheets! Halloween is a perfect holiday to talk about letter sounds with things from pumpkins and witches to goblins and Dracula. I found several worksheets that were perfect for practicing letter sounds. Here are a few:

1. Halloween Beginning Letters:
http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/worksheets/halloween/halloween-beginning-letters-worksheet.asp

2. Halloween Letter Sound Matching:
http://www.ziggityzoom.com/activity/halloween-preschool-printable

3. Halloween Alphabet Pictures:
http://prek-8.com/holiday/halloween/halloweenAlphabet.php

My students liked that they got to do something 'Halloweeny' and I liked that they were learning while doing it. See, learning IS fun!

Dot-to-Dot: Idea #29

Try printing off some dot-to-dots for your student. Kids love connecting the dots to make a picture. I found some really great dot-to-dots online that you can print off.

I really like that the student has to connect the letters of the alphabet on the worksheet. I also like that what the student makes is the letter that the picture to the right starts with. For example, "P for Pirate". This is a great way to practice letter sounds. 

The website where I found the dot-to-dot pages was: http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/HalloweenCostumBeginingSoundDottoDotPages.html. The website has a whole list of other Halloween Costume Character dot-to-dots that would be fun for the this time of year. Although they do not have all the letter sounds, this can still be great practice. Have fun printing out these spooky dot-to-dots!

FYI: You can find more dot-to-dots similar to these Halloween ones on the following blog: http://muckmonsters.blogspot.com/search/label/abc%20dot-to-dot.

abcteach Website: Idea #28

I love finding great educational websites. One I found recently is called abcteach. The website is: http://www.abcteach.com/. My favorite part of this website are the free materials that you can print off. You will find a list of the free activities on the home page. 

Under the 'Free Materials' list I clicked on PreK/Early Childhood. Then I clicked on ABC Activities and found a great list of flash cards, coloring pages, and worksheets.

Under the Reading Comprehension tab, I clicked on Pre-K/Kindergarten and found short books and word wall flashcards to practice. The books are simple and have sight words in them. They are perfect for beginning readers.

This website can be used as a great resource in helping you get your child on the path to reading success! Have fun discovering all that this website has to offer.

Letter Game: Idea #27

Going on a family road trip any time soon? If so, you may want to try this letter sound game in the car. It is very similar to the alphabet game, if you've ever played that one before. I just changed the rules a little bit. Here's how you play:

1. Decide on a letter sound you would like your student to practice. Then say the following sentence: "I went on a road trip and I brought a  ________" You must fill in the blank with something that begins with the letter sound you decided on. For example, if the letter sound you chose was C, you might say the following sentence: "I went on a road trip and I brought a caterpillar". The item does not need to be something that you actually brought with you.

2. Then your student takes a turn. They must say the word you said and another word that begins with the letter sound. For example, "I went on a road trip and I brought a caterpillar and corn."

3. Then the third person (if there is one) takes a turn by thinking of another word that begins with c and must remember the other two previously mentioned. For example, "I went on a road trip and I brought a caterpillar, corn, and a computer."

4. The game finally ends when someone either cannot think of a word that begins with the letter sound chosen or forgot one of the words already mentioned.

This game is the perfect game to play on a long road trip. Not only is it time consuming, but it is also educational!

Letter Mobile: Idea #26

I have a baby daughter, so I am always looking for toys she likes. One thing that she loves is her toy mobile that hangs from her pack 'n play. It keeps her entertained for extended periods of time. I made the connection the other day that it would be really easy to make a letter sound mobile. Maybe a 5 or 6 year old wouldn't be as mesmerized with a mobile as a baby, but they would probably enjoy making one. Here's what you do:

1. Get a sturdy hanger.

2. Decide on a letter sound your student needs to practice and write it on a piece of paper (about as big an a large index card). Then tape it to the middle part of the hanger.

3. Find pictures in the newspaper or in magazines that begin with that letter sound. Cut them out. Hole punch each picture at the top.

4. Get some thin string (I used floss) and tie each picture from the hole to the hanger.

5. Hang the letter mobile somewhere where your student can see it and be reminded of the letter sound frequently. 

FYI: I have found that regular paper tears easily while putting it on the string. You may want to try using paper or pictures that are a bit thicker, like cardstock. 

This is an easy activity for kids. Have fun making your mobiles!

Hidden Pictures: Idea #25

Does your student enjoy finding Where's Waldo? If your student does, they may also enjoy hidden pictures. Finding hidden pictures can be a great way to practice letter sounds. 
  
I found a book full of hidden pictures in The Everything Kids' Hidden Pictures Book. You can check out some of these hidden pictures at: http://www.netplaces.com/kids-hidden-pictures/perfect-pets/heidis-hamster.htm. 

FYI: Not all of the hidden pictures in the book have you looking for things that begin with the same letter sound. In this case, you may ask your student, "Look at the hidden picture. Can you find anything that starts with p? Can you find anything that starts with h? Can you find anything that starts with r?" etc.

Have fun looking at these crazy hidden pictures!

Trash Can Basketball: Idea #24

If you have an active student, you may want to try mixing sports into learning. One way you can do this is to play trash can basketball. Here is how you play it:

1. BEFORE PLAYING: You need to make letter flashcards, or buy some. You also need to get an empty trash can and place it somewhere in the room where your student can easily throw something into it. Lastly, you need a ball (or piece of paper wadded up into a ball).

2. TO PLAY: Show your student a flashcard. If they say the correct letter's sound, give them the ball to throw into the trash can. The first time they throw the ball in the trash can, have them stand really close to it. Each time you show them a flashcard and they get the sound right, have them move one step away from the trash can. By the end of the game, they should be very far from the trash can, if they know all of their letter sounds!

3. SCORE: 

Option 1- Give your student one point for getting the letter sound correct and another point if they get the ball in the trash can. Play until you run out of time.

Option 2- You could add 5 extra points every time your students has moved back 5 steps. For example, when they have moved back 5 steps, give them an extra 5 points. When they have moved back 10 steps, give them an extra 5 points and so on.

Option 3- You could put three lines of tape on the carpet. One close to the trash can, the second one a little further away and the third one really far away. When your student gets the sound right, let them choose where they would like to throw from. The closest tape line, your student gets 5 extra points. The tape line in the middle, your student gets 10 extra points. The furthest tape line from the trash can, your student gets 15 extra points. 

4. TRY THIS!!! If your student is really struggling with certain letter sounds, make several flashcards that have that letter. This way they must keep practicing that sound. You also might try having them work towards a certain score. For example, "Once you get to 30, you get a prize."

Although this game is simple, kids love it. It is a great way to get their minds moving and learning.

Letter Shirt: Idea #23

When I was in 1st grade, my teacher asked each student in my class to bring in a white solid shirt on the last day of school. When we got to school, our teacher gave each of us puffy paint to sign our names on everyone's white shirts. I cherished my shirt and wore it all the time.

Now, I'm not saying that all kids are like me, but most kids enjoy making things. Try making a letter shirt with your student. It is simple to do. 

1. Buy a white shirt for your student (or find an old one) 
2. Write the letter that your student needs to practice really large on the shirt (in marker) or buy a shirt that already has the letter on it
3. Have your student draw pictures all over the shirt that begin with that letter sound (using marker)
4. Student can wear the shirt to be reminded of things that start with that letter sound

Make sure your student uses many colors when drawing the pictures. If they only use one color it will be more difficult to understand what is on the shirt!

Show and Tell: Idea #22

Most people enjoy sharing things about themselves. That is why kids love Show and Tell. Pick a day you would like to have Show and Tell with your student. Tell them that they must bring in something that begins with the letter sound that they struggle with. For example, if they have difficulty with the letter t, have them bring in something from home that begins with t. They could even bring in more than one! 

Show and Tell allows students to make a home-school connection. They bring in their pet turtle from home and are learning about the t sound in class. Now every time they see their turtle at home, they think of Show and Tell at school. This causes them to be constantly reminded of the letter sound!

The kids in my classes enjoyed Show and Tell so much that we usually had it on Fun Friday. Each student was always so eager to share and proud of what they brought in. This is a great way to get your students excited about learning their letter sounds.

Scholastic Website: Idea #21

As a teacher I was always looking for good educational websites. Kids love anything on the computer these days, so it is important to have a few favorites. A fun one you should try is: http://www.scholastic.com/home/.

This website includes great ideas and resources for teachers, helps for parents, games and videos for kids, articles for administrators, and technology ideas for librarians. It is easy to navigate and is user friendly.

One of my favorite games is the Clifford Sound Match Game. You can find this game in the Student Activities under the Teachers tab. In this game students must drag all the pictures that begin with the same letter sound into a box. Every time they drag the right picture into the box, Clifford barks. Pretty fun! As the picture is put in the box, the word also shows up. For example, if your student put a dog in the box, the word 'dog' would appear on the word list. It is a great way for kids to connect words to pictures. Have fun checking out this wonderful website!

Listening Center: Idea #20

In my classroom we had Center Time every day. During Center Time the students were in small groups and rotated to different areas in the classroom. They stayed at their center for about ten minutes doing an activity. Every center focused on a different learning style (visual, verbal, auditory, etc.). This gave the students an opportunity to learn their letter sounds in their own learning style.

One of my favorite centers was the Listening Center. At this particular center the students each had a set of headphones hooked up to a cd/tape player. They would listen to the cd/tape and do the activity that went along with it. The kids were totally engaged and on task. It was great practice and review.

The one we used in our classroom was from Lakeshore. While the students listened, they each had a dry erase marker to do the letter sound activity page. Usually the cd/tape would have them circling certain pictures and listening for certain sounds. When they got to the end, the student got to practice writing that letter sound. One of the reasons the kids loved this center was because they got to use the dry erase markers!

I found my students learned words that began with particular letter sounds at this center. Even if they already knew the letter sound, it was a great reinforcer. It is important to try different pathways of teaching to see which way is most helpful to your individual student.

Dr. Jean: Idea #19

Music is a great way to help kids learn their letter sounds. It seems like once children have learned an educational song, the information sticks. Just like when kids learn their ABC's. 

One of my favorite educational musicians is Dr. Jean. She has tons of great cds out there to help kids learn. 
Listen to this song that she sings about letter sounds: Alphardy.

If you think that song is helpful, you should check out her website at: http://www.drjean.org/. She writes and sings songs including: starting school, friendship, counting, and even the weather. 

All of her music is easy to learn and is written especially for young ages. When I was a teacher I used her music to help my students get their wiggles out. The best part was they were learning while they were moving! 

If you don't have the money to buy one of her cds, check out her music on her website, or on youtube. I hope you find some useful songs.

Make-A-Scene: Idea #18

As I have said before, games are a great way to help kids practice their letter sounds. Games can be so educational and fun. When I was a kid we owned this game called Make-A-Scene. It dawned on me last night that it is a great way for kids to practice the letter sounds.

Here is how you play:

1. In the game box you will find a Scene Book. The Scene Book has 14 different pictures of various backdrops/scenes. Some of the scenes include: the classroom, the park, and main street. Once you and your student have decided on a scene, rip out two copies of that particular scene in your Scene Book.

2. Make sure each of the two players get a copy of the scene page, a pencil, and a drawing mat.

3. When both players have their materials, one of the players spins the letter spinner (that contains all 26 letters). The letter that the spinner lands on is important, so don't forget it.

4. Once you start the 2 minute timer, each player is to draw items that begin with that particular letter sound on the scene page. The hard part is that you have to draw really fast and the items you draw must really belong in the given scene. As the back of the game box describes it, "Go ahead... explain what the MERMAID is doing on MAIN STREET next to the MAILMAN and the MUTT!"

5. The player receives one point for each item drawn and two points if the item is unique (drawn by only one player). After 4 rounds, the team with the highest score wins.

****You don't have to use the letter spinner they provide, you can just tell your student the letter sound. This way you can make sure they are practicing the letter sound they need.*****

Collage: Idea #17

Try making a collage with your student. It is easy and fun. Just pick the letter sound you want to work on and get started! Here is what you do:

1. Print off the letter that you need.

2.  Find pictures in magazines or in the newspaper that begin with that letter.

3. Paste the pictures on your letter:

(My pictures include starting from the top: sword, shake, socks, shoes, sweep, sheep, soldier, swan, sandwich, sun, ship, saw, sunflower, spoon, shirt, soccer).

4. Post the collage somewhere your student will see it as a quick reminder or reference.

If you do not have access to a newspaper, magazine, or computer, have your student draw pictures instead. It is still fun!

Fingerspelling: Idea #16

It is fun to incorporate American Sign Language (ASL) whenever possible. Kids love learning the signs and showing them to others. It is a great way to get them excited about learning letter sounds.

Try introducing letter sounds with their letter sign. You could say something like this, "Here is the sign for the letter m. The letter m makes the mmm sound." From this your child will now associate the sign, letter, and sound all together.

I recently read in the Visual Language & Visual Learning Research Brief: The Importance of Fingerspelling for Reading that, "Fingerspelling, reading, and writing are interrelated." It is because of this that fingerspelling directly impacts reading skills. When your child has learned the letter, the letter's sound, and the letter's sign, it will more likely be ingrained in their mind.

GAME: Once they know all of the letter signs, you can play a game with them. In this game the teacher verbally makes a letter sound and then the student signs the letter back. You could also just reverse it where the teacher shows a letter sign and the student verbally makes the sound. 

Letter Sound Art: Idea #15

When teaching your student or child letter sounds, try to incorporate art as much as possible. Creating something gives students a sense of ownership. When they create something, they have something tangible to remember the letter sound. For example, if your child needs extra help with the letter k sound, you may want to help them make a king's crown or a kitty cat.

Here are some ideas of things you could make for the letter K:

1. Make a king's crown and have your student wear it. Check out: http://www.ehow.com/how_4495178_make-paper-crown.html

 2. Make a paper kite. Check out: http://squishideasforpreschool.blogspot.com/2012/02/march-ideas-wind-hot-air-balloon-kites.html

3. Make a paper plate kitty to hang from your door knob. Check out: http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/catcrafts.html

4. Make a kiwi Christmas tree.Check out: http://ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com/kiwi-tree/2009/12/13/

5. Color a kangaroo page and cut it out. Check out: http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/KangarooCutandPaste.htm

Of course you can do this for any letter your student struggles with. You can find many crafty ideas online. You will find that later, when your child is trying to remember sounds, he/she will connect the art project with the letter sound. They may always think of the kiwi Christmas tree when remembering the k sound. Not only are these simple crafts fun, but also very beneficial for our students.

Highlights for Kids: Idea #14

Do your kids like the computer? A great website your child can use is Highlights Kids: http://www.highlightskids.com/. On this website it has four different options you can click on: 

1. PLAY IT- Where your child can do hidden pictures, games, or art activities
2. READ IT- Where your child can read, listen or watch a variety of stories
3. MAKE IT- Where your child can learn a craft or do a science experiment or even learn a recipe
4. SHARE IT- Where your child can look at others' work or send in their own

Obviously I will focus this post on the 'Read It' portion of the website. The animated stories have the words from the story on the side, so the child can follow along. This is a way to get your child excited to learn how to read because the story comes to life!

The other stories are not animated, but allow the child to follow along and view beautiful pictures as they read. They have both fictional (under the STORIES tab) and non fictional (under the ARTICLES tab) and even poems (under the POETRY PLAYER tab). Some stories are more like something you would read in a newspaper (under the ARIZONA ZONE tab). The last tab has a place for kids to write words to their comics (under the THE TIMBERTOES tab).

This website is a great way to get kids reading who don't particularly enjoy it. Just make sure they aren't playing games the whole time!!

Party Time: Idea #13

Who doesn't like a good party? Try having a letter sound party. Choose the letter sound that your child has difficulty with and have a party doing and eating things that begin with that sound. 

As a teacher, I liked to have my students work hard for their letter sound party. They had to earn them because they thought those parties were such a blast!

My personal favorite is the letter P Party. Here is a list of ideas that you could do at your P Party:

1. Have students come to school in their pjs 
2. Have students also bring a pillow from home
3. Watch the movie 'Peter Pan'
4. Provide food: pizza, popcorn, punch, pudding
5. Students make paper bag puppets of 'Peter Pan' 
6. Students paint pictures of things that begin with the P sound
7. The person who paints the prettiest picture gets a prize (like a PayDay candy bar)

Of course, you can have a party with any letter sound. It's a fun way to help your child learn their sounds and kids remember it forever.

Memory Game: Idea #12

If your student loves to play games, Memory is a great one to use for letter sound practice. If you are not familiar with the game Memory, here is how you play it:

1. Lay all cards face down in neat rows (in no particular order)
2. Student turns over two cards to see if they are a match. 
3. If the two cards are not a match, the student turns them back over and lets the teacher take a turn. If the two cards are a match, the student takes the cards and gets to turn over two other cards.
4. The winner of the game is the one with the most matches at the end.

When I play the Memory game in my classroom, I use cards similar to the one on this website: http://www.eslprintables.com/Vocabulary_worksheets/The_alphabet/Alphabet_games/index.asp?page=2


This allows the student to match the letter with the correct object. This way they are practicing sounds, not just matching letter A with letter A. Instead, they are matching the sound A with the picture of an apple that makes the A sound.

TIP: Since there are 26 letters in the alphabet this game involves 52 cards. This may be a little difficult for a 5 or 6 year old. Try using only the letter sound cards that your student struggles with. Then there won't be so many cards in the game. If you keep all 52 cards in, you could be playing for a while!

Candy Corn Fun: Idea #11

It is always fun to incorporate holidays into your teaching. Halloween is especially fun with so many options from Frankenstein to green goblins to spooky scary skeletons. It makes learning exciting and kids love it!

When you discover the letter sound that your child is frustrated with, find a book or poem that has a lot of that particular sound found in it. For example, if your student is having hard time with the M sound, you might read the book 'Many Marvelous Monsters', or 'Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch' if they struggle with the P sound. 

Once you have found the story, buy a bag of candy corn, or other Halloween treat. Then get a cup or glass. As you read the story, the student is to listen for that particular letter sound. Every time they hear the letter sound in the story, they put a candy corn in the cup.

When my students are struggling with the letter s sound, I use the song/poem 'Spooky Scary Skeletons'. They love it because it goes with the Halloween theme and they hear the s sound so much. They get to put so many candy corns in their cups!

It is fun at the end to see how many times you heard the particular letter sound in your book or poem. Make sure to read it slowly so that your student has enough time to put their candy in the cup. Most importantly, enjoy the candy!

Paper Plate Activity: Idea #10

If you are planning to go on a trip anytime soon, you may want to bring along an educational game for your child. This particular game is easy to make, easy to transport, and great practice in the car! All you need is a paper plate, a ziploc bag, and some pictures. Here is how you do it:

1. Get a paper plate and write two letter sounds that you would like your child to practice:

2. Cut out pictures from the newspaper or a magazine that begin with those sounds. Put them all in a plastic bag:

3. Have your child sort through the pictures by matching them with their correct letter sound.

Make sure to check their work when they are done. Have a fun trip!

Letter Sounds and Real Life Sounds: Idea #9

When kids are learning their letter sounds, it may be useful to teach them using sounds they already know. For example, the sound o makes the sound you would say when the doctor tells you to open your mouth. Or the sound s is the sound a snake makes. This helps kids connect the letter sounds to their real life experiences. 

Here is a list of different sounds that can help your child learn their letter sounds:

Letter Sound	Real Life Sound
A	When someone is screaming AKA “Ah!!”
E	When someone doesn't care (short e sound like 'elephant')
H	When someone is breathing really hard
I	When one sees something one doesn't like (short i sound like 'it')
M	When one tastes something one likes AKA “Mmmm!”
O	When someone opens their mouth
S	The sound a snake makes
U	When someone says, “Uh”
Z	The sound of a bee

You could even turn this into a matching game where the child has to match the letter sound with its real life sound. 

I came up with this list, but please comment below if you have any other ones that I missed. Thanks!

Puppets: Idea #8

In the lower elementary grades kids love puppet shows. Puppets are a great way to engage kids when they are learning something new. They especially enjoy the funny accents that teachers give their puppets. It is so entertaining for kids.

One thing I loved to do as a teacher was to introduce a letter sound using a puppet. For example, have a bird puppet introduce the b sound. Or a fairy introduce the f sound. My personal favorite was using a pirate puppet to introduce the p sound. My attempt at speaking like a pirate was quite humorous, but my students were totally engaged. From then on my students connected the p sound with pirate. 

Here are four different ideas for how to make your puppet:

1. Buy the puppet.
2. Make a paper bag puppet.
3. Make a finger puppet.
4. Make a sock puppet.

Sesame Street: Idea #7

Did you watch Sesame Street as a kid? Well, maybe your child should watch it too! Check out the website: http://www.sesamestreet.org. It has great games and videos for all of the letters of the alphabet. 

When I get to the Sesame Street homepage, I type in the search bar whatever letter my student needs help with. For example, if my student is struggling with the letter n sound, I would type 'letter n' in the search bar. Then a list of videos and games are shown that can help my struggling reader. 

The kids in my 1st grade class loved watching the short movie clips and playing the games on Sesame Street. Not only is it fun, but it's also educational!

Bingo: Idea #6

Students love games. To practice letter sounds, try playing 'Bingo'. Bingo is an effective way to find out what sounds your child struggles with.

Here are 4 different ways that you could play the game:

OPTION #1: The teacher/parent says a letter sound from the Bingo card and then the student covers up the correct letter. 

OPTION #2: The teacher/parent says a word that begins with one of the letters on the Bingo board and then the student covers up the correct letter.

My last two ideas use a blank Bingo card, similar to the one below:

OPTION #3: The teacher/parent says a letter sound and then the student writes the corresponding letter in any available box on the Bingo card.

OPTION #4: The teacher/parent says a word and then the student has to write the letter it begins with in any available box on the Bingo card.

Be sure to take note of the sounds your student doesn't know!

***On the first Bingo card the letters A and L are missing. A and L tend to be the first sounds that students master.

Ice Cream Cone: Idea #5

Everybody loves ice cream...especially kids! A fun way to get your child to learn their letter sounds is to make a paper ice cream cone. Start off by cutting out a paper ice cream cone. The cone should be flat, like a triangle. Similar to this:

Then tape it up on the wall. Each time your child masters a letter sound, tape an ice cream scoop on top of the cone. The scoop should look similar to this:

Make sure to write the letter on the scoop in order to keep track of what sounds they know. You can even have your child color the scoop the way they would like. For example, brown for a chocolate scoop, pink for a strawberry scoop, etc. Once their ice cream cone has 26 scoops on it, showing all 26 letters, they have earned a trip to get ice cream!

Yum! I scream, you scream,
we all scream for ice cream!!!

Letter Sound Tubs: Idea #4

Kids love tactile activities. A great way to let kids use their hands is to have letter sound tubs. The ones I used were from Lakeshore, but you can also make our own. All you need is a tub for each letter of the alphabet. Inside the tub put various objects that begin with that letter sound. For example, in the B tub a child might find: a bottle, a ball, a banana, a boat, etc. All of the objects are a small toy size.  It is fun for the child to take out each item and make the connection that they all begin with the same letter sound.

When I would introduce letter sounds to my class, I would use the letter sound tub to help them see what things started with that particular sound. I would even take the time to pass around each item/toy. That was their favorite part! The kids loved touching each thing.

Sometimes I would make it into a game where I would hide the item in my hand and describe it to the class. After I gave a few clues, the students had to figure out what the item in my hand was. This is a great way to help kids remember their letter sounds!

If you don't have the money to purchase the tubs from Lakeshore, you can make the tubs yourself using toys around your house or by buying small items from the dollar store. 

Candy Land: Idea #3

What was your favorite game as a kid? I bet you're all saying Candy Land. I think it's every child's favorite. A great way to get kids excited to learn their letter sounds is to make it into a game. In order to incorporate the letter sounds, write one letter on each card included in the board game (color is irrelevant). When the child picks up the card for his/her turn, the child must say what sound the letter makes. If the child says the correct sound, he/she can move the game piece to the color the game card indicates.

If a child has a difficult time with a certain letter sound, write that letter on multiple cards. Also, if you write the letters in pencil, you can erase them later! 

This is a great way to see what your child remembers and what letters you may need to review.

Starfall: Idea #2

A great way for kids to learn letter sounds is by associating each sound with an action. For example, using the action of moving your arm by your nose like an elephant's trunk to remember that elephant begins with the e sound. You would then associate the elephant with the e sound. Kids love doing the movement and it helps the letter sound really stick.

A great website, which I am sure you have already seen is www.starfall.com. On the website you can find a song that does this very thing! Here is how you get there:

1. Type in www.starfall.com
2. Click on the ABCs tab
3. In the bottom right hand corner click on ABC
4. Then click ABC again

I used to sing the song with my 1st graders to help them remember their letter sounds. You could even make it into a game where you do the action and the child has to name the sound that it starts with. It's a great resource. 

Sounds Chart: Idea #1

Before one can learn how to read, one must master letter sounds. As a teacher I would use a sound chart to test my students, similar to the one below:

 I would use alphabet flashcards to test them on their sounds every day. When they knew a letter sound, they got to put a sticker on that letter (or color the letter box) on their sound chart. After they learned all of their 26 letter sounds, they got a special prize. 

This may seem like a simple idea, but the students loved it and were always so excited to put on another sticker or finally get their special prize. I made it into such a big deal every time they learned another sound. They need the positive reinforcement!

This chart may seem a little boring, but if you print them a chart that has pictures on it, it gives them too many clues as to what the letter sound is.