Trisha's #TuesdayTip": Smash and Squeeze to Blend Sounds

It's time for a #TuesdayTip!

This week, we wanted to share this great suggestion from "All the Write Colors" that might help if your child is struggling with blending sounds.

Miss Katharine's idea is to use sound balls, which involve attaching sounds to a tactile experience. You can use Play-Doh or kinetic sand to roll out the sound balls.

Make your own letter cards, place a consonant down, then a vowel, then a consonant, and place a sound ball below each letter. For example, you can create the word "map" by placing the sound balls for "m," "a," and "p" together.

Then, use the "smash and squeeze" method:

- First, the child will smash each sound ball while sounding out the letter.

- Then, the child will squeeze all three sound balls together and blend their sounds.

This hands-on approach helps engage the child and makes the blending process more tangible and clear.

If someone you love is struggling with dyslexia or other reading difficulties, give the "smash and squeeze" method a try!