Word cards can be a fun, easy way to help your child begin to master reading. A simple way to begin word card games is to teach your child the short phonetic sounds of a vowel. Next, combine that sound with a consonant pattern. For example, once your child has mastered the short 'A' sound, make word cards containing the combination of A-T. Cards may include, cat, rat, bat, hat, mat, and so on. As you move on to include several vowel sounds, try to include nouns and verbs as you develop your set of words. The next step will be allowing your child to form short sentences with the words. When the child has mastered the basics of recognizing phonetic sounds, you may want to add words they're interested in learning to read, such as 'monster truck' or 'ninja rats.' While these words can deviate from basic phonetic rules, they'll become part of your child's 'sight words vocabulary.' One twist in the game is to create cards with letters or groups of letters, such as consonant blends like ND or TH, and allow the child to attempt to spell words with the letters.
©2004 Bluestreak Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
