5 Minute Phonics: Activity 1

Short & sweet activities and mini-lessons for beginning readers—designed by teachers, for learning at home.

Learning Objective: Reading and writing rhyming words with short "i".

What You’ll Need: A pencil and piece of paper.

Instructions:

1. Invite your child to join you in a quiet workspace. At the top of a blank sheet of paper, write out in clear letters: “A Pig and His Wig”.

2. With your child, repeat the title aloud three times. Model pointing to each word as you say them together.

3. Ask your child: “Do any of these words sound alike?”

4. With your child, identify that “pig” and “wig” have similar sounds—review that this is called a rhyme.

5. Below the title on your sheet of paper, write the words again, this time stacking them one on top of the other, like this:
   
   
   

   pig

   wig

6. Say: “Now I need your help. I’m looking for another word that rhymes with ‘pig’ and ‘wig’. Can you help me? I’ll write as you think.” If needed, give them a hint: “An elephant is not small, it’s ______ (big)!”

7. When your child says “big”, write it in your list and thank them for helping you find another word. Ask your child if they can think of any other words that rhyme here (dig, fig). When finished writing out correct rhymes, circle the list to show that it is one group.

8. Say: “Now we’re going to find other groups of rhyming words with this same sound”. On your paper, continue forming rhyme groups for the following words: pit, Tim, win. Stack the words as you group them, and circle each group.
   
   

To continue practicing the short “i” (and to find out more about Tim and his wig), order your copy of A Pig and His Wig here.