LEARN THE LETTER R
Learn the Letter R
Play with PomPom and discover the letter R in these fun, full bodied ways to remind your little one that language can, and should be surprising, adventurous, and utterly fun.
SET THE STAGE FOR PLAY: 2 minutes
Phonics Fun with Letter R
View, download, and print these labeled images of things that start or end with the letter R and the sound /r/.
1. Practice making the sound for the letter R, together: “Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr.”
2. Use your finger to cover the label on the first picture.
3. Say what you see in the picture.
4. Listen for, and exaggerate the /r/ sound in the word: “Rrrrrrrrrrrrred.”
5. Decide if you hear the /r/ at the beginning or the end of the word.
6. Reveal the label and see if you were correct by finding and pointing to the letter R: “Is it at the beginning, or, the end of the word?”
- For older children, make a more explicit connection between where the sound /r/ is heard in the word, and where it is written by saying: “I hear the /r/ sound at the beginning of the word ‘rabbit’, and I see the R at the beginning of the word!” Or, “I heard you make the /r/ sound at the end of the word ‘tiger’ and look - there is the letter R at the end of the word!”
7. Circle the letter R where it appears.
8. Repeat with all of the other images.
Roar, Run, Row, and Rock & Roll with ‘Red Rover, Red Rover’
You can play this game with one or more participants. If you have 2 or more players, divide the group in half and direct them to stand on opposite sides of the room.
Take turns being leaders and players.
When it is your turn to lead, call out, “Red Rover, Red Rover send ‘insert name’ right over,” and add a special “Letter R Instruction” to inform what the player must do as they cross the room.
- For example: “Red Rover Red Rover send _______ right over. This time, roll across the room!”
Here are some to get you started:
- Roar like a lion, play in a rock and roll band, move like a rhinoceros, grow like a rose, run super fast, ribbit and hop like a frog, rub your hands together, row a boat, hop like a rabbit, roll on the floor, and shoot into outer space like a rocket.
