This is a hands-on sorting activity that will help your child learn when to use each sound of ending Y. Free printable!
You Will Need:
- Cry Baby Boxes printable
- laminator (optional)
- exacto knife (optional)
- scissors
- tape
Instructions:
- Print the Cry Baby Boxes printable
- Laminate (optional)
- Cut out the boxes and the words (NOTE: cut only the outside edge of the boxes – do not cut the boxes apart
- Cut the slit out of the top of each box using an exacto knife or scissors
- Assemble the boxes by folding the sides on the lines and taping the sides together
- Teach your child: when Y comes at the end of a word it can make a long e sound (e says its name – like in the word feel) or a long i sound (i says its name – like in the word kite). There’s a rule to help you know what sound ending Y will make in a word. When y is at the end of a single syllable word, it will make a long i sound (as in cry). When y is at the end of a word with two or more syllables, it will make a long e sound (as in baby). If your child is not yet familiar with syllables, a simple way to explain this is that when y comes at the end of a word that is short – two or three letters long – it makes a long i sound (as in cry). When y comes at the end of a longer word – four letters or more – the y makes a long e sound (as in baby). Show him the Cry and Baby box and point out that the Cry box is for the words that have an ending y that says i, which are the short words, and the Baby box is for the longer words that have an ending y that says e.
- Activity: now that your child knows when y says i and when it says e, he can practice reading ending y words. Lay the ending y words out in front of your child and the Cry and Baby boxes.. Have him choose a word and notice if it is short (has two or three letters) or longer (more than four letters). Ask him, “Is the y going to say i or e in this word?” Have him read the word and put it in the correct box. If it is short, the y will say i, and the word will go into the slot on the “Cry” box; if the word is longer, the y will say e and the word card will go into the “Baby” box. Allow your child to read and sort the words until he gets tired of the activity, or until he reads them all!
