Second Grade: Phonics

Play Word Ladders. 

Practice phonics and flexible thinking by playing Word Ladders. To play, pick two three-letter words: a “start word” and an “end word.” Change only one letter at a time and form a new word at each step. The goal is to change the start word into the end word in the fewest steps. Here’s an example with CAT and DOG: 

CAT 

COT 

DOT 

DOG 

Play Word Ladders with or without pen and paper. Any pair of three-letter words will work, but some fun pairs include PIG/HEN, RUG/HAT, or DAD/SON. Play with two four-letter words for an even bigger challenge!