| Want to help your child learn more words? Do | | | | players in turn try to determine which letter is a |
| you also want to keep them occupied while | | | | match by a process of elimination. To see if the |
| traveling to the grocery store, around town on | | | | first letter was the match, a player might guess |
| errands, or even on vacation? Here are five | | | | suit. When no letters match, the next player |
| word-related activities for increasing your child's | | | | might try to eliminate the second letter as the |
| vocabulary and avoiding the "Are we there yet?" | | | | matching letter and so on. The player who |
| question. | | | | correctly identifies the word wins and is the next |
| 1. "Find the next letter". This game works well | | | | one to think up a new game word. |
| with small children learning the alphabet. Have your | | | | 3. "Alphabet words" Each player must come up |
| child look for the letters in the alphabet in the | | | | with a word which begins with the next letter in |
| proper sequence on road signs, billboards, license | | | | the alphabet when it is their turn. You can make |
| plates, and business signs. As they gain confidence | | | | this more challenging by giving a category for the |
| with the game, you might introduce a time | | | | words like only animals or only verbs. |
| element. Can they find all twenty-six letters | | | | 4. Use index cards to make flashcards of the |
| before you reach your destination? | | | | new words your child is learning. Have your child |
| 2. "I'm thinking of a .... letter word." Start this | | | | shuffle the cards and study each card for the |
| game with short three or four letter words. One | | | | word and its meaning. |
| player thinks of a word and then announces how | | | | 5. Bring books and magazines for your child to |
| many letters are in the word. The other players | | | | read while you drive. Let them pick out topics |
| then guess a word. The first player then | | | | they like. New topics and authors will expand their |
| compares the guess word with the word he is | | | | vocabulary. Have them read silently or aloud. Both |
| thinking of to see what letters match exactly in | | | | will help develop their skills as a reader. |
| their placement in the game word. The first | | | | These activities will increase your child's |
| player then announces how many letters match | | | | vocabulary, letter recognition, print awareness, |
| exactly. For example, if the game word is love | | | | spelling, and print motivation (the desire to read) |
| and the guess word is sale, then there is one | | | | which are some of the early literacy skills which |
| letter (e) of the guess word in the exactly | | | | make for a firm foundation for reading. They are |
| matching position as in the game word. So the | | | | also a fun way to pass the time. Enjoy! |
| first player announces "1 letter". Now the other | | | | |