First, Middle, and Ending Sound Activities

Parent: "What is the first sound you hear in this word?"

• moon
• tack
• patch
• sock
• duck
• list
• cough

These are clear, simple examples for your child with a first sound that is more easily distinguished from the other sounds in the word.

The Schwa Sound - A Common Addition!

You might notice your child adding a sound like "uh" after a consonant in these activities. For example, instead of /l/ for list, he or she might say "la". This is called a schwa sound, and it's very common for students to add on when identifying individual sounds. It isn't something to panic about with our youngest learners, but it is a teachable moment! Encourage your child to eliminate the schwa when identifying one sound. For the word "boat", tell your child that the first sound is /b/, not "buh" or "ba". Keep the sound short and crisp. (Even adults have a tendency to add that "uh" sound on!)

A few more challenging words to try...

• brick /b/
• plus /p/
• that /th/
• shout /sh/
• friend /f/
• fly /f/
• clap /c/

These are more challenging because the first two letters create something new together! The "br" in brick create something called a blend, which is when two consonants go together as a unit, but we still hear each sound. Additional blends include pr, cr, bl, or sk. It is very, very common for kids to have trouble separating these sounds! Your child may say that the first sound is "br". That's a good start! Slowly encourage them to pull the sounds apart..../b/..../r/.....the first sound is /b/ like in "baby".

The /th/ and /sh/ are examples of digraphs. A digraph is when two consonants also form a unit, but they make an entirely new sound that doesn't match either individual sound. Ch, sh, th, wh, and ph are other examples of digraphs. They may or may not pose a challenge for your child. Often, children who benefit from speech and language therapy need extra help distinguishing and pronouncing these sounds.

Parent: "What is the last sound you hear in this word?" Sometimes when doing many of these activities, kids will resort to identifying the first sound. Gently remind your child that you are now paying attention to the last sound in the word. Provide an example to help.

• pick
• mop
• sad
• met
• hog
• mutt
• clip
• slam
• scat
• drop
• bend
• smash
• click