Did you know there’s a “secret sauce” to helping your students read faster, with more confidence, and fewer stumbles? The answer lies in word families. These little “word squads” are the key to unlocking hundreds of new words—turning emerging readers into decoding pros!
Word families are key to students being able to unlock hundreds of words. So, it’s important to give students lots of opportunities for practice.
Our Popsicle Hide and Seek word family activity allows students to practice this important skill in a fun and engaging way. The best part? It’s fully editable so you can practice any word under the sun!Â
Ready to give it a try? Grab your set below, and don’t forget to join the priority list for our VIP teaching membership, The Science of Reading Formula, for even more time-saving tools and strategies.
What Are Word Families?
Word families are like little teams of words that share the same “last name”—the ending sound and spelling. Think of cat, hat, and bat in the -at family. When students learn to recognize word families, reading suddenly feels a lot less like work and more like cracking a fun puzzle.
Why? Because once students spot one word family pattern, they can apply it over and over again. That means one small skill unlocks dozens (or even hundreds!) of new words. Cue those confident, lightning-fast decoding skills!
Why Are Word Families Important?
Word families are an essential skill in early literacy. They help students see predictable patterns in language, making reading and spelling just a tad bit easier. Once students are able to recognize that words like “dog”, “log”, and “jog” share similar endings, they’re able to decode words faster and with more confidence. The ability to recognize these patterns helps to build a strong phonics foundation, allowing students to read new words by applying familiar sounds. You could even say that they’re a magic skill that helps to convert non-readers into actual readers in the blink of an eye.
Popsicle Hide and Seek Word Family Activity Prep
Word family practice can feel a bit boring sometimes, but not with this activity! This simple, (and did I mention editable?!) word family game is simple to prep and far from blah.Â
Begin by prepping the popsicles and carts. Since this activity is fully customizable, type the words your students are practicing on each popsicle.Â
Print and laminate both the popsicles and carts for extra durability so you can use the pieces over and over again (I just have a feeling your students are going to love these!).Â
One final step- print the record sheets. That’s it! You’re ready to play.Â
Popsicle Hide and Seek
This game is perfect for literacy centers or small group work. Not only does it allow students to practice reading and writing word families, but it also helps to promote teamwork and cooperation as students work together to find all 12 hidden popsicles. They’ll read the words on each cart out loud, then check behind it to see if a popsicle is hiding there. If they find one, they’ll record the word in the “Hiding a Popsicle” column on their sheet. If not, they’ll add it to the “Not Hiding a Popsicle” column. The goal is to uncover all the hidden popsicles—and then mix them up to play again!
Download Your Popsicle Hide and Seek Activity
Click the blue “download now” button below to grab your Popsicle Hide and Seek activity. Then, don’t forget to request an invite to our VIP teaching membership, The Science of Reading Formula, to get access to even more brain-friendly teaching tools.
P.S. Ready to simplify teaching even more?Don’t forget to join the waitlist for my VIP list for The Science of Reading Formula and unlock thousands of brain-friendly, print-and-go tools for teaching literacy. Enrollment opens to the public twice a year!