The humble rubber band

Don't be surprised if your daughter or son asks you for a rubber band. 

For some time now we have been working on stretching words that are made up of two or three sounds and listening for the sounds in them. Then we write the words on whiteboards. 

Lately we have started using rubber bands to help us stretch the words. With each sound we stretch the rubber band a little further. When we blend the sounds, that is put them together to make the word, we bring our hands back together and the rubber band contracts. The rubber band adds a tactile element to stretching words.