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Word Family Blackout

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Games. They are definitely a favorite at our house. Especially when I can bring games into learning! Our Word Family Blackout game {FREE download at the end of post} was no exception. It features word family practice for short a, short e, short i, short o, short u and some mixed vowel word family review. *This post contains affiliate links….
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Beginning Sounds Listening Game {with Digraphs}

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Helping kids hear beginning sounds is one of the first ways we can help kids apply their phonics knowledge to real words. Typically, kids can hear and isolate the first sound. Sometimes, even the last sound in words can come first. This is seen especially if children are given free reign to spell words on their own at a young…
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Go on a Word Search after Reading {and Giveaway!}

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Going on a word search (also known as a word hunt) is one of my absolute favorite activities to do with a book after reading it. Word hunts not only give beginning readers a reason to re-read text, but also help them to see how phonics patterns, such as word families, are applied to reading and spelling. *This post contains…
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Bendy Stick Spelling Practice

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Spelling practice. Just those two words together may drudge up bad memories. I know they do for me. Write your words five times each. Write each word in a sentence. That dreaded spelling test. Yuck! Spelling practice doesn’t have to equate to boring or monotonous. It can actually be engaging and dare I say it…FUN! *This post contains affiliate links. Spelling…
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Teaching the Alphabet to Reluctant Learners

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Reluctant learners. Who exactly are they? You may have one (or two) in your home or in your classroom. These are the children who turn their little noses up at our best and most creative attempts to teach them their letters, numbers, well…almost anything! They typically think “out of the box” and are extremely bright. But they just won’t “fit”…
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