Literacy
Alliterations: Say Silly Sounds
Guess the alliteration
- Check out these images with your little one. Explain that alliterations happen whe two words start with the same sound. Now look at the images again and see if you can say both the name of the item and its color. While you do this, listen for the alliterations! (e.g. pink pig and yellow yarn).
Make alliterations with your (and other family members’) names
- Jabari jumps, Mommy makes macaroni, Daddy delivers donuts…What does ___________ do?
- Work together to generate and then record your alliteration on a piece of paper.
- Illustrate your alliteration.
Silly Names
- Take turns creating silly animal names such as Chrissy the Cow, Zoey the Zebra, and Alphie the Alligator. Maybe you can even create an alliteration with your own name!
- Scaffold and support this by asking your little one to name an animal, then give them two names to choose from. For example, “Should your horse be named Holly or Mary?”
Make your Own Tongue Twisters
- Generate silly phrases using only words that start with the same letter, for example, “Tiny tigers & tots tiptoe to the top of the tower.”
- Challenge yourselves to come up with the longest, and silliest, phrases that you can think of!
Why Play This Way?
Listening for and saying sounds will help your little one realize that words are made up of a collection of sounds. This work gets them ready to match those particular sounds to the written letter symbols, thus, an important first step in learning to read. The easiest place to begin learning about letter sounds is with the initial sound found in each word. Grouping together words with the same beginning sound is called alliteration. Have fun being playful and silly with language as you build this foundational literacy skill.
