Emergent readers, those who are just discovering the wonder and magic of reading, are proud of their new skills and will enjoy ways to show their new-found knowledge. Give the children in your care a chance to shine and an opportunity to practice these new skills at the same time by making Word Family Flip-Books! The project is easy, inexpensive, and can be done again and again.

Word Family Flip Books take advantage of the fact that many simple words in our language belong to what are known as rhyming word families; New words can be made by changing the beginning sound(s) and using the same ending sounds. An example would be "bat, cat, fat"; and so forth. Young readers quickly discover that they can read whole groups of these words once they have mastered basic understandings of regular consonant sounds and the concept of rhyming. The Word Family Flip Book will be a list of rhyming words that your child will practice again and again, and proudly read "All By Myself" to anyone who will listen. They are wonderful tools for building confidence and a sense of fun into the process of learning to read!

You will need a supply of blank index cards. The exact size is not really important; I use 3 x 5 index cards because I have them available and they are an easy size for young children to handle. You could use paper, as well, but the index cards will make a sturdier book when you are finished, and it will stand up to more wear and use. You will also need scissors, stapler, and a marker. Each book will need one full-sized index card and several that have been cut in half so they are 3 x 2 and 1/2. Staple several half-sized cards to one side of a full-sized card so that the small cards open like a book and the big card sticks out from the bottom.

Help your child choose a simple word family that has lots of members. The -at family, -og family, -an family, -op family, and -in family are all great choices for beginners. More able readers will enjoy the -ane family, -ale family, -oat family, and so forth. Now, write the ending letters on the part of the bottom card that sticks out from the rest of the book. The first letters (that change with each word) will go on the small cards so that, when the pages are turned, a new word is formed.

Start your reader off by suggesting a familiar word that can be made with the ending letters. Next, ask the child to begin naming rhyming words and have him/her print the correct beginning sound on each new card. Can the child fill the entire book? If it seems important, you can think up the words together before you staple the pages in place so that there will be no blanks. Be careful to include only words that have the correct spelling! There are a few that sound the same but are spelled differently. When a child stumbles onto one of those, I simply compliment their rhyme and explain that the word they've suggested is a word that does not use the same letters to make the rhyme and so can't go in our book.

And that's all there is to it! Your child will be very proud to discover new words that can be read easily, and will use this tool to practice. You can make new and more challenging books anytime your child is ready. Many children will want to make several at one time, so you may want to have lots of index cards handy. Once the books are done, sit back and revel in your child's joy and excitement!