At-Home Practices

Building blending skills doesn’t have to feel like a chore. These simple, hands-on games help your child connect sounds smoothly and confidently—all through play! Try a few of these at home and watch your reader grow.

1. Sound Hopscotch

Grab some chalk or painter’s tape and draw boxes on the ground. Inside each box, write a letter sound: /s/ /u/ /n/. Have your child hop to each sound, saying it out loud as they land on the box. After the last hop, they blend the sounds together to say the word: “sun!”

2. Spell It, Write It, Pop-It

This multi-sensory activity uses writing and movement to reinforce word structure.

• Say the Word: Choose a word like map and say it clearly.

• Write the Word: Have your child write the word on paper or a whiteboard.

• Pop the Letters: Using a Pop-It toy, your child pops one bubble for each letter as they say the sounds: /m/ /a/ /p/.

  
  

3. Pop-It Phonics

Turn that fidget toy into a phonics powerhouse!

• Sound It Out: Say a word like cat and ask your child to break it into sounds.

• Pop the Sounds: They pop one bubble for each sound: /c/ /a/ /t/.

• Write the Word: Afterward, they write the word to reinforce spelling and sound-symbol correspondence.

Try it with short vowel words, blends, or even nonsense words for decoding practice!

4. Elkonin Boxes

Elkonin boxes help children break words into individual sounds—perfect for blending and spelling.

Draw 2–4 empty boxes on paper or a whiteboard. Say a word slowly (like dog), and have your child push a token into each box for each sound: /d/ /o/ /g/. Then blend them together: “dog!”

👉 See my post on Elkonin boxes for more information

5. Magnetic Letter Mix-Up

Magnetic letters aren’t just fun—they’re powerful tools for blending practice!

• Build the Word: Pick a simple word like mop. Say the word slowly, emphasizing each sound. Your child finds and places the letters: m - o - p.

• Try Word Families: Use the same ending (like –at) and change the beginning: bat, cat, hat. This helps your child see and hear patterns.

💡 No magnetic letters? No problem! Use letter tiles, sticky notes, or even dry-erase markers on a baking sheet or fridge.

7. I Spy a Sound

Play a blending version of “I Spy” anywhere—on a walk, in the car, or at home.

Say: “I spy something with the sounds /b/ /e/ /d/.”Your child listens, blends, and guesses the word. You can also reverse it and have them give you the clues!

8. Stretchy Word Slinky

Grab a slinky (or just stretch your hands apart) and say a word slowly: “/m/…/a/…/p/…” As you stretch, emphasize each sound. Then say it fast: “map!” This builds awareness of how sounds blend into whole words.

9. Mystery Word Match-Up

Use picture cards and say the sounds of one mystery word out loud: “/f/ /o/ /x/.” Ask your child to listen and find the picture that matches.

10. Blending Bingo

Create a bingo board with pictures or CVC words. Call out the segmented sounds of a word (/p/ /i/ /g/), and your child blends them to find and cover the matching word or picture.

Want to make it more interactive? Let them be the caller next round!

🎉 Final Tip for Parents: Keep blending practice short, playful, and consistent.