Multisensory Monday: Road Trip Sound & Seek

Back in the day, my siblings and I would play the Alphabet game during every family trip. We’d find words in writing that began with each letter of the alphabet in ABC order. The first one to get all the way to Z was the winner! It helped pass the time and my parents got fewer “When will we get there?” questions. We were too busy looking out the window and trying to  beat the other person.

While the ‘Alphabet’ game was entertaining, this game is a way to ramp up the challenge and educational aspect. In this revamped version, players look for specific sounds outside their window. The kids can compete against each other, their parents, or even challenge one another. Whether it’s 20 minutes or two hours, playing Road Trip Sound & Seek will entertain and educate our kids all at the same time!

The Game

Like the Alphabet game, players need to be on the look out for signs, billboards, cars, bumper stickers, anything with words, but also just anything one can see out the window like trees or parks. Any time a written word or physical object can be spotted that includes the sound you score a point!

Sounds can just be the single letters in the alphabet, or to make it more of a challenge:

• Use digraphs (th, sh, wh, ch, etc.);
• Beginning blends (bl, sl, cl, sm, sc/sk, dw, thr, shr, etc.);
• Or ending blends (-ld, -tch, -nch, -lt, etc).

For example, if my sound was /ch/ I would look for either something in writing with the /ch/ spelling like a Cheeto billboard, or something that has the /ch/ sound in the word. Like a church, or chalk, or child. Everything that can be seen as you are traveling in the car is fair game in Road Trip Sound & Seek!

As you venture out on your next road trip, I hope that you can play and use the Road Trip Sound & Seek game as a form of entertainment during your drive, but also to challenge your child on sounds, which is a much harder concept for some. Happy driving!

Written by Brittney Urban

Brittney is a Dyslexia Specialist and Brainspring tutor.

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