LETTRE, ENVELOPPE, BALANCE: French words that almost look English

Sending something is one of the few errands a small child gets to take part in, which makes these words stick. The grid holds the French for a letter, an envelope, a stamp, a set of scales and a delivery, each with its picture. The child reads across and down until a word lines up, then rings it. There is no writing and no spelling out; the work is entirely in the looking.

Three of these look almost like their English equivalents and that is the interesting part. LETTRE turns the ending of the English word around; ENVELOPPE gains a letter and doubles a consonant; BALANCE is spelled identically but means the weighing scales, not steadiness. Children who assume the English spelling will hunt for the wrong string of letters, so it is worth having them read each word off the picture list first.

This one has a real-world use built in: do the sheet, then walk to the post box with something to send. TAMPON and LIVRAISON have no English hook at all, so expect those two to take longest — LIVRAISON is nine letters long and offers nothing familiar to hold on to. Leave the pair of them until last. Six words is a comfortable single sitting for most six- and seven-year-olds.