Childrens games

In PART ONE of the game a color word is shown with different color squares under it. Your child clicks on the color square he/she thinks matches the word.

Many parents of preschoolers expand on PART ONE by saying the word, spelling it, saying it again and then having their child do the same. For instance, you say "red" "r - e - d" "red". And then the child says "red" "r -e - d" "red". And then the parent tells the child to click on the square he/she thinks is the red square.

Children who are 5 to 6 years old are usually ready to read words phonetically. Parents often help these children by pointing to the color word, let's say RED, and have the child try to sound the word out. For instance, you say "how does an R sound?" You want to help them get the "Rrr" sound. Then you work on the E ("Eh") and then the D ("Duh"). Afterwards you have the child say it faster - "Rrr Eh Duh" and faster until it comes out as "Red".

Learning to pronounce words is very difficult. A five year old child will have problems sounding out many words. Take the word WHITE - "Wih" "Hah" "I" "Tuh" "Eee" - It is a difficult leap to get from "Wih Hah I Tuh Eee" to WHITE!

Some words will be learned by phonetics, and some will be learned by repetition and recognition. Either way, it is a challenge for a child. Learning to read is hard! Remember, the English language is very confusing. Take the letter E - sometimes it sounds like "Eee", sometimes like "Eh" and sometimes it is silent! English is full of confusing sounds and language rules that are hard to master. But with time, your help, and a good teacher at school your child will learn to master the language.

And for children who know their color words let them just play the game by clicking on the right square. They will be proud when they get the right answer!

Always remember to give your child positive feedback, even when they get a wrong answer! "Good Try" "That Was Close" "Excellent Guess" are all ways to give positive feedback when the child makes a mistake. Check out our kids costumes or toddler activities and kids books page for more fun ideas.