MAKING WORDS Have children make as many different words as they can. Each time they make a word have them write it on a sheet of paper. You may want to challenge them to make as many two-, three- and four-letter words as they can.

MAKING NEW WORDS Build several words and show the children how to change, add, or take away a letter or letters to make a new word. Examples are: cat, can, man, men, met, tap, clap, claps, flaps, flips, flipped, slipped.

RHYMING PAIRS Use a magnetic cookie sheet. With magnetic letters, make a word such as cut. Say the word and have the child say a rhyming word and make it with magnetic letters below it. Sometimes rhyming words will be spelled differently so you may need to show the child the new spellings (new, blue, hope, soap)

ADDING ENDINGS Make an action word such as read, sew, plant. Invite the child to add as many different endings as possible (reads, reading, reader; sew, sewing, sews; plant, plants, planted, planting, planter).

CHANGING VOWELS Make a sample three-letter word. Ask the child to change the vowel to make a new word (for example, cat, cut, cot; hop, hip; hat, hit, hot, hut).

SYLLABLE GAME Say a word and then make it with magnetic letters. Have the child say another word with the same number of syllables and make it with magnetic letters (dog, play; cabin, rocket).

HIGH FREQUENCY WORD PRACTICE There are some words that children use many times when they read or write. Request a list of high frequency words your child needs to know. Have the child make the word, mix up the letters, and make the word again three times each.

BUILDING WORDS Give your child a pile of letters and tell him to make and write as many words as he can.

MISSING LETTERS Make the last part of a word such as __ick, __air, __ell and have the child put one or two letters in the beginning to make a real word (chick, chair, spell). Repeat the process with one or two missing letters at the end of words.