Word Families Activities for Teaching Phonics

Word families are a great way to teach children synthetic phonics and make reading easier. A list of words belonging to a word family are introduced. Most common word families with the short 'a' sound include: at, as in bat and cat, ap as in nap and clap. They also occur in long vowel combinations such as 'eep' as in sheep and deep, and 'oat' as in goat and float. Word families tend to have the same vowel and consonant combination in their endings. With the same ending, word families can be used to read and spell a variety of words. This leads to an exponential growth in a child's reading and spelling capabilities. Using a word family lists, students can practice reading unknown words and build a vocabulary for unfamiliar words.
Teachers could also use a word families chart. The goal of word family charts is to develop phonemic awareness, which is crucial to reading success. By introducing a word family, students will understand how similar words sound and look. They will also begin to recognize that the alphabetic writing system is a complex system, and that one little chunk of a word can be used to unlock a whole host of words. They will soon discover that this linguistic tool is an invaluable tool in reading and learning.

Word family activities are a fun and efficient way to help kids practice and build their vocabulary with these word families. Whether in a classroom setting or with a parent at home, these activities are a great way to get children involved and practice reading a new word family. At Kiz Phonics we offer several word family activities in the form of games, worksheets and lesson plan materials.

Before teaching word families to your students, they should have strong phonemic awareness skills. During the first phase, children should be exposed to a word family one at a time. It is important to introduce each word family in a separate activity. Generally, avoid teaching too many word families in a day. Ideally, one or two word families a day is sufficient. It is essential to be consistent though. To further develop children's reading abilities, they can be made to brainstorm for a word that rhymes with another. While they are learning the word family, they can also play games that practice rhyming with different letters.
Word families can help your students learn to read because the word families often have similar letter patterns that can be absorbed quickly.