Ending sounds

Ages 3 to 5 Read and do together · about 10 minutes

Read together

Words have an end sound too. Cat ends with t.

Hat ends with t. Do they sound the same at the end?

Do it

1. Say “cat” and stretch the end: “caaat-t”. Say “hat” the same way.
2. Say three words, such as “cat, hat, dog”. Ask which one ends differently.
3. Play with a bag of toys. Pull one out, say it, and say its last sound.
4. Keep it a listening game. Do not write yet.

Talk about it

• Which word ends differently?
• What is the last sound in dog?

For the grown-up

Hearing the last sound is harder than hearing the first. It comes a little later. Be patient and keep it playful.

Mark as done

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Where this comes from

• National Early Literacy Panel, Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel (National Institute for Literacy, 2008)
• Adams, M. J., Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print (MIT Press, 1990)

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.