As children become better readers and spellers they learn that a letter or group of letters can have different sounds in different words. The y at the end of cry says /eye/ and the y at the end of sunny says /ee/.

Knowing about "silent e" unlocks another secret to being a good speller. When silent e is added to many short vowel words, the vowel becomes long. Long vowels say their names.

Word searches help children recognize words more effectively when they read. They can also reinforce spelling.

Kids like puzzles. Successfully decoding a secret message gives kids a great feeling of accomplishment. While having fun your child will also be working on identifying and writing the initial letter in a word, important skills for reading and spelling.

Kids like puzzles. Successfully decoding a secret message gives kids a great feeling of accomplishment. While having fun your child will also be working on identifying and writing the initial letter in a word, important skills for reading and spelling.

Knowing about "silent e" unlocks another secret to being a good speller. When silent e is added to many short vowel words, the vowel becomes long. Long vowels say their names.

Your child may need help reading the words on the word list but encourage him or her to find the picture matches independently. Children use context clues, such as pictures, when they read to develop their vocabulary.