Ingredients:

• Large notebook with blank pages
• Index cards
• Crayons
• Magazines
• Tape

Recipe for Playful Learning!

Phonics will help young kids learn how to decode words and how they’re pronounced. They will also give them an advantage for writing and spelling.

This is a fun way to introduce individual letter sounds (like the letter “b” that sounds like “b”) and progress to multi-letter phonetics (like “tion” that sounds like “shun).

STEP 1: Help your preschooler create an alphabet photo album. Parents can help their child write each letter of the alphabet on a blank page in a notebook.

STEP 2: Have your child draw, or use magazine pictures of, items that represent each letter sound. Depending on the child’s age, they may need assistance to find and identify the right items. Turn this into a multi-day activity; focusing on 2-3 letters at a time will allow for reinforcement of what has been learned each time.

STEP 3: Identify the letter(s) for the day and help your child tape the pictures onto each letter page - “a” for apple to “z” for zebra. Keep the phonics photo album nearby as an easy way to practicing at home or on the go.

Modifications:

• Once the alphabet photo album is complete, you can progress to rhyming sounds. Create individual pages with pictures of items that rhyme such as “cat,” “bat,” and “rat.” Rhyming helps kids learn how to break down words and identify word families.
• For older children, additional pages can be created for items and words with more complex sounds like “ch”, “sh”, “ph” or even “tion.”

Skills to Practice: Phonics, Spelling, Writing, Literacy, Collaboration, Creative Thinking