Word families can be a beneficial component in your teaching-your-child-to-read toolbox.

This word family snowball toss activity combines decoding and gross motor fun…the perfect blend for kiddos who have a hard time sitting still!

 

Here’s what you’ll need:  ping pong balls, 4 small containers, a dry-erase marker and a permanent marker.

 

 

1. Use a permanent marker to write words in specific word families on individual ping pong balls. I wrote the words on both sides of the ball.

Here are some of the words we used:

_at word family: 
bat
cat
fat
hat
mat
pat
rat
sat

_op word family:
cop
hop
mop
pop
top

_an word family:
ban
can
fan
man
pan
ran
tan
van

_ack word family
back
hack
jack
lack
pack
quack
sack
tack

 2. Use a dry erase marker to write the rimes of each word family on the containers. You should be able to wipe it off afterwards.

 

 

 

 

 

Have your child choose a ping pong ball and read the word by saying each sound.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Then have him/her throw the ping pong ball snowball into the corresponding bucket.

 

 

 

 

 

Check out more ways to make reading fun here.