Newsletter – Games, Books, and Free Printables! – September 13, 2024

Whether you’re stuck in the carline to drop a child at school, on your way to practice, or just plain stuck in traffic, you can make good use of the time with your kids. The following activities have been proven effective in helping kids to become skilled readers:

Ten Game to Play in the Car

1. I’ll say it slowly. You Say it Quickly: Say a word, separating each distinct sound, and see if your child can zip those sounds back together again and name the word. For example, you’ll say /b/-/a/-/n/-/d/, and your child will say, “Band!” (If they struggle, keep repeating the word with less time before each sound until they recognize the word.)
2.  I’ll say it quickly. You Stretch it out: Say a word as you normally would and ask your child to stretch the word apart, sound by sound. You’ll say kiss and your child will say /k/-/i/-/ss/. You’ll need to model how it’s done, and then provide opportunities for the kids to give it a try.
3. 20 Questions: Invite your child to think of an object. You ask up to 20 questions to try to figure out what the object is. Then, switch roles.
4. Remember the Final Three Numbers: Slowly list random single digit numbers. Your child’s task is to hold in memory only the final three numbers when you stop. Your child will have to continually update those final three numbers as you continue to slowly name numbers in a random sequence. See if your child can retrieve the final three numbers you said before you pause.
5. What Rhymes with __ and Starts with __?: Say, “What rhymes with part and starts with /st/? Answer: start
6. Five Whys: Ask your child a question. When the child answers, ask “Why?” When the child answers that question, ask “Why?” Continue until you’ve asked why five times. Then switch and invite your child to do the same with you.
7. How Many Meanings? (bat, club, bark, nail, racket, break, fair, etc.): Name a word that has multiple meanings. Together, see how many meanings you can come up with.
8. Rhyming Word Challenge through the Alphabet : Think of a word. Then, moving through the alphabet, try to think of lots of rhyming words. If the starting word is cat, you could say . . . at, bat, cat, --, --, fat, --, hat, --, --, Kat, --, mat, Nat, --, pat, --, rat, sat, tat, --, vat, --, --, --, --) You can create a nonsense word where there’s no known rhyming word.
9. Who’s Most Like You/Me in . . . : Think of a movie, show, or book and take turns asking one another, “Who’s most like me?” and “Who’s most like you?” Ask why.
10. Sing Your Own Lyrics to Familiar Tunes: Think of an easy-to-sing song, and then share a true message about your day to the tune of that song. E.g., I don’t have homework to the tune of “Happy Birthday” or We are going to Target today to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”