Boost Early Reading Skills with Fun and Tasty Yogurt Bark Recipe

Why oh why is Y so much trouble to read? Well, it’s because Y can be both a consonant AND a vowel. When Y is at the beginning of a word it is typically a consonant and makes a hard /y/ sound. Words like, YAK, YOGURT, YARN and YUM. When Y is in the middle of a word, it often makes the sound /i/ like MYTH.  When Y is at the end of a word it makes the vowel sound /ie/ or /ee/. Words like FLY, CRY, and FUNNY. For a young child Y’s chameleon-like ways can be so confusing.

So today, let’s focus on the sound Y makes when it is a consonant /y/! And how can we help reinforce consonant Y? With cooking of course! Today we’ll learn about what makes Y a consonant and make some delicious yogurt bark while we learn.

This yummy recipe will have you yearning for more learning!

To begin, print out the recipe. Then, before you start cooking, demonstrate how Y sounds at the beginning of the word. Tell your child that Y at the beginning of a word is a consonant. List out other consonant letters with your child to compare. Practice making the sounds together. Have some fun! You can list out Y words and then yell them or shout “yippee” when they get the sound right.  Then suggest they circle all the Y words they can find in the recipe. 

Ingredients:

• Yogurt

• Honey/Maple Syrup

• Berries

• Wax Paper

• Cookie Sheet

• Spoon

Step 1: Put wax paper on your cookie sheet.

Step 2: Mix a spoon of honey or maple syrup with your yogurt.

Step 3: Scoop the yogurt onto the wax paper. Make it flat.

Step 4: Yay! It is time for berries. Put the berries on your yogurt how you like.

Step 5: Add any extras you or your family think are yummy. 

Step 6: Put the cookie sheet in the freezer. Keep it in the freezer until the yogurt is hard.

Step 7: Take the cookie sheet out and break the yogurt into big bits.

Step 8: Yes! You have made yummy yogurt bark! Yippee! 

Optional: You can add nuts, chocolate, coconut, etc to your bark as well.

Tips for teaching kids to read with recipes:

Teach Y as a Consonant: Explain that Y can be both a consonant and a vowel, but that today we’re focusing on its consonant sound at the start of words.

• Introduce Recipe Words:

  • Talk about terms like “ingredients” and other basic cooking words.

  • Explain any new or tricky words like “maple”.

• Highlight Key Words and Punctuation:

  • Focus on the letter Y as a consonant whenever you see it in the recipe.

  • Show and explain punctuation marks and what they do.

• Reading Tips:

  • Encourage your child to try reading the recipe on their own.

  • Break down difficult words together.

• Patience and Positivity:

  • Be patient and let your child take their time identifying words or letters.

  • Provide gentle help and support if they get stuck.