Take school outside for this simple and fun activity!
All you need is some sand (you can also use a sensory bin filled with rice or cornmeal if you need to do the activity inside), a shovel, and the Soft G Gems printable.
Instructions:
- Print out the Soft G Gems (PDF is at the end of the article), laminate them (optional, but I do recommend it for these, since you have to bury them), and cut them out. You could also use gems such as these and write the words on them instead.
- Explain to your child that g can sometimes make the sound of j, like in the word gem (and write the word gem with a moveable alphabet, on a whiteboard, or on a piece of paper). When g has an e, i, or y right after it in a word, sometimes it will make the sound of j, but not always!
- Bury the gems in a sandbox or a sensory bin
- Instruct your child to dig for the gems. When she finds a gem, have her read it.
- Keep going until she’s tired or until all the gems have been found.
Happy reading!
*Note – some of these words are challenging for a new reader, such as giraffe. If your young reader is struggling or feeling discouraged, feel free to set aside the more challenging words for this activity.
