• Paper 
• Dry erase markers 
• Clip art or pictures 
• Glue 
• Page protector 

Preparation 

Step 1: Create several picture rhyme cards using simple word families such as hat, sad, pig, cup, fan, and jam. For example, have a picture of a hat and add “_at, _at, _at.” Place in a page protector. Gather a dry erase marker. 

Activity 

Step 1: Choose one of the picture rhyme cards that you created and name the picture at the top of the paper. 

Step 3: Spell the name of the picture together. 

“Let’s spell hat: h-a-t spells hat.” 

Step 4: Ask your child to write the first letter for “hat” on the line below the hat. Then look at the word together and ask your child to tell you the word she wrote (hat). 

Step 5: Ask your child to tell you a word that rhymes with (hat), such as (bat). It can be a real word or a made-up word. 

Step 6: Encourage her to listen for the first sound she hears in the word.  

“What sound do you hear first when you begin to say (/b/ /b/ bat)?” 

Step 7: Invite her to write the missing letter on the line (b). Show your child the rhyming word she wrote!  

“You wrote the word (bat)!” 

Step 8: Continue with the remaining lines on the picture rhyme card and then complete the remaining cards. 

If your child is unable to think of a rhyming word, provide the first letter for her. Say the word, segmented by onset and rime.  

“Listen! (/b/ … at; /b/… at) What’s the word? The word is (bat)! 

What letter makes the (/b/) sound? That’s right, (b)! 

Write the letter (b) on the line. You wrote the word (bat)!” 

Ask your child to write as many words as she can from a specific word family (examples: _at, _ad, _ig, _up, _an, _am). 

“How many words can you write that end with _at, like ‘rat’? Write as many as you can!” (Nonsense words are perfectly acceptable!)