Using either lower case magnetic letters, letter blocks, or cutout paper letters, decide on a word family to use for this activity. (See Figure 6.8: Common Rimes in English with Sample Onsets on page 186 in your textbook.) Let's say you decide on the "ip" family. Take out the letters i and p. Now, begin adding initial consonants like b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, etc. Next, decide which are real words in English: hip, lip, nip, rip, sip, tip, zip.

Now, think about the fact that it was engaging to be doing something while you were thinking and learning. That's extremely important for you as well as for six-year-olds. Consider how you could use this activity with Early Readers.