The following activity gives children some additional practice with word families and provides another way for them to hear and see all the parts of a word.

Select the word family (or families) with which your child needs more experience.

• Cut index cards, oak tag, or plain paper into small pieces.
• Cut some 3 x 1 -inch pieces and several more into 1 x 1 -inch pieces.
• On each 3 x 1 -inch card, clearly print the ending of your chosen word family.
• If working with the -at family, print at on the card. Using a different colored pen or marker on the individual 1 x 1 -inch cards, print different letters that match with -at to make a word in that family.
  

• For work with the -at family, each 1 x 1 -inch card may have one of the following letters: b, c, f, h, m, p, r, s. Use your judgment as to how many initial consonant sounds to provide at once.

• Spread the individual cards face up in front of you and the child.
• Place the word ending, e.g. at, directly in front of the child and ask him/her what those letters sound like together. Depending on the child, you may choose to begin by reading it aloud for him/her and then asking him/her to repeat it: "This says at. Can you say at?"
• Every time you read aloud, point to the letters of the word and move your finger from left to right as you sound out each part. Do the same when the child reads and encourage the child to use his/her own finger.
• Now refer to the individual letters in front of you and say something like, "I bet we can make other words that sound like (or rhyme with) at. Do you see any letters that can go in front of at to make another word?" Show the child what you mean by choosing one of the initial consonant cards and sliding it in front of the -at card. Sound out the newly made word while pointing to each part of the word as you read it.
  
• Ask the child if he/she sees a letter that goes in front of -at to make a word. Continue making new words with the child and ask him/her to read each one aloud as he/she creates them. Every time a new letter is chosen, remove the last letter used. Then slide the new letter over to the ending card to put them together to sound out the new word.