mamajoan

Isaac is enjoying using his alphabet floor mat puzzle to spell words, but he needs some help. First I have to help him come up with words to spell. Then I have to help him think of a second word to spell that doesn't use any of the letters in the first word (nor any repeated letters since we only have one of each). Then I have to coax him through sounding out the word:

Isaac: What comes after [the letter he just did]?
Me: What do you think?
Isaac: I dunno.
Me: Sound it out.
Isaac: [does] [says correct letter]
Me: That's right.
(Repeat until the word is done.)

Or:
Isaac: What comes after A?
Me: (silly voice) What do you think?
Isaac: (silly voice) I do not know.
Me: Sound it out.
Ruthie: Out!
Isaac: No Ruthie, we're not going out!
Ruthie: Light!
Isaac: Yeah Ruthie, I turned on the light!
Ruthie: Light!
Isaac: MAMA!! What comes after ... oh wait ... [sounds it out]

Or:
Isaac: (yelling from living room) What comes after I?
Me: (yelling from bedroom) Sound it out.
(pause)
(Isaac comes running into bedroom)
Isaac: What word were we spelling again?
Me: Lime.
Isaac. Liiimmm...M!
Me: That's right, M.
Isaac: And then what?
Me: And then there's an E.
Isaac: Oh, a silent E?
Me: Yep!

After he finishes spelling two words, he pretends they are trains, and they have a race. "Mama!" he'll yell, "the RANCH train is leaving first! The LIME train better catch up!"