Dollar Store Fun Resources

Dollar Store Fun Resources for Reading Abound

My hope is that by the end of this post, my readers will be inspired. I want my readers to see how dollar store fun resources for teaching reading can give a reading lesson sparkle, pop and real substance!

Remember how I talked about “key-words” or phonics “reference words?” Objects for phonics anchors, abound from the dollar store. See what wonderfulness I picked up for my granddaughter.

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CVC, CCVC, CVCC, Simple Words for Beginning Readers

Sticker books, picture books, bath toys, plastic animals, and various toys, even hats, provide GREAT dollar store fun resources for reading instruction. These objects can be used as phonics anchor words, and more! Here are some words that you may build lessons around. Please read through, to catch all the fun…

• frog
• pig
• crab
• cat
• duck
• hen

Other Phonics Anchor Words:

• horse
• cow
• star

What word can you find at the dollar store to represent the phonics jingle: When to vowels go walking, the first one does the talking, and often says its name! (GOAT…)

Use the words how?

I suggest approaching each object/word, like this:

Focus on one object at a time, for example, the “pig.” Say the word. Say each sound, of the word, one sound at a time, /p/ /i/ /g/. Count the sounds on a finger as you say each sound. Draw three blanks on paper or chalkboard or dry erase board, one blank for each sound. Say the sounds again, as if sounding out the spelling, and have the child HELP spell the word “pig,” one letter/sound at a time.

Next spell other object/words OR change the first sound to another sound/spelling to make another word. Example: /d/ /i/ /g/= dig, or /f/ /i/ /g/ =fig… How endless can this be? I will make up some worksheets and share below. Please subscribe by e-mail so that you get access to the password access free resource library where I will load MORE.

Words like, farm, star, horse, goat, can be anchor words for other reading phonics concepts. The “ar” like in farm and star, the “or” like in horse and corn, are common sound spelling phonics chunk that young readers need to learn! Explicitly teach this now, and when your child comes across one of those sound/spellings again, then you have an anchor word or reference word to remind him or her of.

Not being a simple consonant, vowel, consonant (with short vowel sound), the words STAR, or HORSE, represent what some call the BOSSY R. It is what it is, and kids need to learn it. Teach it. “Ar,” says /ar/ like in star. “Or” says /or/ like in horse.

Have them practice spelling those words, writing those words, and other words in the same FAMILY. Like dig, fig, and pig are in the same family.

Dollar Store Fun Resources lead to Spelling and More

Fun-sheets spun off of these dollar store finds:

Farm-Scene-Art-and-WordsDownload

3-Silly-Spelling-Writing-PagesDownload

Use these dollar store fun resources for imagination play…oral language…

You can take any toy or item, make up stories, or act out imaginative role playing. Later you can write those stories for your child to read, or help him or her write sentences.

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Make up a song. Sing it. Write it or type it out. Use it as practice reading text for your kiddo!

One little,

Two little,

Three little, froggies…

There you have fabulous and fun practice for important number words, and the all important word “little,” and highly phonetic word, “froggies.”

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Make text cards for different scenarios with the dollar store fun resources:

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Hand-written Cards

Hand written cards as above, make GREAT practice for beginning readers. Oh, look! The word “jar,” has the star /ar/ sound spelled “ar,” and the word “out,” is a super important sight word, as well as a phonics reference for the “ou” that says /ou/…also sounds like /ow/ as in COW, but spelled with “ou.”

As parent/teacher, do not get overwhelmed. Students learn to read one little bit at a time, and that is how this blog is being built.

Dots per spelling/sound

Notice in the picture below, the word cards for each object have dots under each spelling/sound. I also did that method here. I highly recommend this be utilized. Here, I put the dots under sound-out words in a book that we own. The advantage of this is that it gives a visual point of reference for the child to see with their eyes, the spelling/sound(s) from left to right.

Have your kiddo match up the word cards with the objects!

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Then you can provide some simple sentence stems, and let them fill in the blank(s) to write sentences of their own! Example:

I see the _________ in the sky. (See how some versions or answers could be quite funny? Have fun with this. Fun while practicing reading and spelling will only nurture enthusiasm and good attitude.)

The _________ bit me.

My ball, hit the _________.

The ___________ has a hat.

I like the _________________.

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I truly hope that you feel empowered and excited to jump into reading/writing fun with your kiddo, using dollar store fun resources. When I write more plans using these resources, I will link them here, and put MORE in the password accessible Free Resource Library. Subscribe by e-mail so that you get the password when the library is built. This library will be for my e-mail subscribers.

Happy reading, and hug your kiddos,

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