Here are some suggested prompts to say when children are stuck on a word…

• Look at the picture clues.
• Look at the first letter of the word.  Get your mouth ready for the first sound.  Look across and blend the sounds.
• What word would make sense here?
• Look for little chunks/little words within the tricky word.
• Skip the word, read on, and see if you can then figure it out.
• Peel off word endings to figure out the base word.
• Cover what you already know in the word to focus on the unknown part.
  

It’s helpful for kids to use MULTIPLE strategies to figure out words instead of just a single way.