How to Make Your Own Word Dominoes

Decide what kind of word dominoes you want to make. Possibilities range from rhyming words to parts of speech. Write down a list of 80 to 100 words you want to use on the tiles. For instance, if you pick rhymes, write down things like: cat, hat, flight, right, mite, kite and so on.

Draw a grid on your card stock with a ruler and permanent marker. Each grid section should measure about 3 inches long by 1.5 inches wide. You need half as many rectangles as you have words. For instance, if you have 100 words, you only need 50 rectangles.

Cut apart the rectangles and bisect each one across the narrow center with a straight line.

Write one word on either side of the line on each rectangle. The words on each card should not match according to your game rules. For instance, for rhymes, write non-rhyming words on either side of each card. Match up "kite" with "hat" and so on.

Write neatly in carefully formed letters. Children, especially young, disabled or non-English-speaking children, require very clear handwriting. Write everything in lowercase letters; roughly 90 percent of all the letters you see are in lowercase. Lowercase dominoes helps students become familiar with the look of the letters.