Learn Sight Words with a Water Game!

What You Need:

• Sidewalk chalk
• Pail of water
• 6” damp sponges
• Stopwatch
• Several energetic first graders

What You Do:

1. Find an empty, clean spot of pavement, perhaps on a driveway or local playground.
2. Have your child help you write out some common first grade spelling words like, "with" or "there" or "that." (There are many possibilities. Take ideas from her spelling homework!)
3. Dunk the sponge in the pail of water, and take turns throwing the wet sponge at each word. See how long it takes to "melt" away the sight word.
4. For an extra twist, you can challenge your child to some “selective” melting too—for example, only vowels, or only first letters. Mix it up any way you want as she starts getting better at reading.
5. Once the word is completely gone, put your kid's memory to the test and see if she can remember how that meltaway word was spelled. If she's not sure, pull out that chalk and those sponges again. Be prepared for hours of fun!