Preview draft. Activities have not been tested with caregivers.
Learning · The activity desk
Change a sound word path
Change the first sound in short words and read each new word.
Let's play →
A little plan for play
Open interactive activity →Add to play journal →What you need
Paper and large child-appropriate crayons.
Age: 3–5 years; choose for the individual child.
Stay with the child throughout. Check the space and supplies, including anything within reach of younger siblings. Skip any activity that is unsuitable. Stop if a child puts non-food material in their mouth or becomes distressed. Use intact books, full sheets of paper, a large child-appropriate crayon and a clean, dry towel. Follow product labels; remove torn paper and keep broken crayons and caps away from children. Adult handles and stores supplies.
Set up: An adult writes cat, bat, and mat in large letters on a sheet, one under another.
Adult's role: Say each sound slowly and help the child blend the sounds into a word.
Let's make it happen
- Point to each letter in cat and say its sound, then blend the sounds together.
- Read bat and notice how changing the first sound makes a different word.
- Read mat, then draw a picture beside each word and trace the changing first letters.
Make it simpler: Compare cat and bat, pointing to the first letter in each.
Clean up: Put away crayons and save or recycle the paper.
Let the child listen or point instead of saying sounds aloud. Keep the activity playful.