My daughter is entering kindergarten in the fall, and we’ve been working on basic reading skills over the summer to get ready. But when it’s warm and sunny outside, the last thing she wants to do is sit inside and read!
To get my five-year-old excited about practicing her letter sounds and get her out in the sunshine, we play letter hopscotch on the driveway. Get a jump on sounding out letters and words in this game perfect for budding readers.
What You’ll Need
- sidewalk chalk
How to Play
In a nine by nine grid, use the chalk to write a mix of consonants and at least two vowels in each square. (For older kids, the grid can be as many squares as you like.) My daughter enjoys jumping across the squares as far as she can, so I recommend a finding a large space on the sidewalk or driveway. Here’s a simple grid to help you get started.
For preschoolers and kindergarteners still learning to write, asking them to write the letters on the sidewalk themselves is a great opportunity to practice.
After you have the hopscotch grid set up, look at the letters on the sidewalk and start calling out words! I start with simple words like “cat” and “mat,” and my five-year-old jumps on each letter as she sounds the word out. She loves when the letters are far apart so that she can leap as far as her legs will take her.
As she gained confidence, my daughter started coming up with her own words to spell. Older kids might enjoy playing with friends by challenging each other on larger grids and harder words.
For more fun with words, be sure to download this week’s free episode on iTunes, WordGirl: Becky and the Bard/Monkey Robot Showdown.
More Adventures in Learning
Download a Free Episode
Whether you’re at home or on the road this summer, PBS KIDS can be your partner in on-the-go learning. With our award-winning mobile apps (including the PBS KIDS video player) and PBS KIDS video available for download you can ensure your kids will have a trusty educational travel companion all summer long. Stop by our PBS KIDS Raising Readers home at iTunes and download a free episode this week! This week’s free episode is WordGirl:Becky and the Bard/Monkey Robot Showdown.