Make a Word – easy words

Make a Word helps children remember the most common sound of each letter and how to blend the sounds from left to right to make words.

Print and cut out the letter and memory cards. Match several letter cards with their memory aid cards to help your child learn and remember the sound of each letter (if necessary).

When your child knows the required letters, ask him to pick out the letters to make the word “cat”, put them in the correct order and say the sound of each letter as it is put in place. You may need to pronounce the word slowly and distinctly. If necessary, split it into the sounds /k/ /a/ /t/, then pronounce the whole word again.

Each time a new letter is learned, ask your child to make up a variety of words using the letters that he knows. E.g. with c, a, t, h, i, s, b and u, have your child make the words cat, hat, sat, bat, hit, sit, bit, cut, hut, but, bus, tub, at. Only use the most common sound for each letter, including the short vowels – “a” in “apple”, “e” in “egg”, “i” in “ink”, “o” in “orange”, “u” in “umbrella”. Do not use less common sounds, e.g. as in city, no, ate.