What are Word Families?
Beginning readers can benefit greatly from learning and implementing word families. Here is what I share regarding phonograms (the fancy word for word families) in my I Can Teach My Child to Read eBook:
“Another strategy that has proven to be helpful for many children is the teaching of phonograms. We often refer to these as “word families” because the onset (beginning sound of the word) can be changed to produce a family of words that all rhyme. This allows children to begin grouping sets of letters within a word to make it more easily recognizable the next time that she sees the same chunk.”
“Once your child recognizes the word “mop”, she’ll then have an advantage to reading all of the other words that have the same rime (top, pop, stop, cop, hop) because only one letter (the onset) is changing.”
Word families can be taught and incorporated in a variety of different word games and activities, which make learning fun and engaging for kindergarten and preschool learners.
30+ Word Family Activities and Games:
Our Favorites:
Word Family Activity: LEGO Buildings
Word Family Game: Fishing
Word Family Activity: Pull Out Words
Word Family Game: Snowball Toss
Word Family Game
Word Family Activity: Playdough with Alphabet Stamps
More Word Family Activities & Games:
Word Family Game: Word Ladders :: No Time for Flashcards
Word Building with Magnets and Tape :: No Time for Flashcards
Spin and Rhyme :: No Time for Flashcards
Word Family Activity: Houses Worksheet :: No Time for Flashcards
Rhyming Jars :: No Time for Flashcards
Word Family Game: Spin a Word Family :: Playdough to Plato
Word Family Game: Tic Tac Toe :: Kids Activities Blog
Word Family Blackout :: This Reading Mama
Word Family Activity: Learn to Read Strips :: Kids Activities Blog
Word Family Playdough Mats :: 1+1+1=1
Roll & Graph Word Families :: 1+1+1=1
DIY Building Words Center :: Apples & ABC’s
The Cat in the Hat Word Family Game :: The Pleasantest Thing
Word Families Flip Chart :: Kids Activities Blog
Word Family Garden :: Playdough to Plato
Word Family Eggs :: Playdough to Plato
Word Families with Bread Ties :: Still Playing School
Paint Chip Word Families :: Life with Moore Babies
Word Family Slam :: Toddler Approved
Apples and Worms Word Family Activity :: J Daniel 4’s Mom
Keurig Cup Word Families :: Kathy Griffin’s Teaching Strategies
McDonalds Fries Word Family Sorting :: First Grade Schoolbox
Stamp & Spell Literacy Play (with laydough, alphabet stamps, and scrabble letters) :: Childhood 101
Click here for more ideas for preschoolers & kindergarteners:
Is Your Child Kindergarten Ready?
33 Ways To Prepare Your Child For Kindergarten
Dr. Seuss Preschool Activities
Fun Sight Word Activities For Kids
5 Pre-writing Activities For Preschoolers
Interested in teaching your child to read? Check out our eBook!
What an amazing resource you have here for educators and parents. Thank you for sharing our Word Family Blackout game! Sharing away with my readers.
Thanks so much, Becky!
Thanks so much for including 3 Dinosaurs!
what a great website! i enjoyed it very much.
So many great ideas! in “30 Hands on Learning Activities,” I like how they are inexpensive or free and especially like the clips from plastic bags (with letters written on them) used to make family words by sticking them in a strip of play dough. Thank you.
Arlene Martin
wordfamilyreaders.com