Henry is very interested in learning to read. So, we're slowly making progress in that direction. The first step is knowing what sound each letter makes. In a Montessori environment, this is actually how letters are first introduced-- not by name, but by sound.
Over the last couple years, Henry has spent lots of time learning about each letter and it's sound. He's fairly fluent if just asked. But, it's a bit harder to put that skill into practice. To do that, we've been playing the I-Spy game!
This gives Henry the chance to match a letter's sound with an object. Which is harder then just naming the sound.
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This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.
To play you'll need:
- A Mat
- Language objects
- Sandpaper Letters
First, start by placing all the language objects out on the mat. We just randomly scatter them about.
We get our language objects from a variety of places. Some are these mini animals, some are meant for fairy gardens and dollhouses, others are mini erasers and similar household objects, some are DIYed. It's taken me awhile to gather all of the objects I need. You can also purchase them in bundles, which might be a little more expensive but time saving!
Once the objects are placed on the mat, the first player picks a random sandpaper letter. The player looks at the card and says "I spy with my little eye, something that begins with //letter-sound//"
The second player then tries to find an object that starts with that sound. Once the object is found, the person matches the object to the card.
Player 2 then picks a random card and the process is repeated. We do this until all the letters have been chosen. Taking turns back and forth. There's no winner or loser, just sound-matching fun!
Do you play I-Spy games? How do you use language objects?
