Snow‑Day Outdoor Word Activities – Year 2
Homophones (Sounds the same, different spellings and meanings)
Due to the snow, school is closed today. There is no expectation for formal learning, but if you would like to do something light and enjoyable with your child, here are some optional outdoor word activities linked to our Year 2 learning this week. We have been learning about homophones – words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.
These activities are designed to be fun, practical and easy to dip into, using the snow and outdoor environment as inspiration. Even a short conversation about words is valuable.
❄️ 1. Homophone Snowball Match
Focus: Recognising and matching homophones
What you need:
How to play:
- Write pairs of homophones on paper or on the ground, for example:
- there / their / they’re
- to / too / two
- here / hear
- one / won
- Place them around the garden or outdoor space.
- Call out a sentence, such as:
“I can hear the snow crunch.”
- Your child finds the correct word and explains why it fits.
⛄ 2. Build a Snow Sentence
Focus: Choosing the correct homophone in context
What you need:
How to play:
- Say a sentence out loud with a missing word, for example:
“We ran over ____ to play in the snow.” (there / their)
- Your child chooses the correct homophone.
- Write the sentence in the snow or with chalk.
Challenge: Can they explain the meaning of the word they chose?
❄️ 3. Freeze and Choose
Focus: Understanding word meaning
How to play:
- Call out a homophone pair, for example see / sea.
- Say a sentence.
- If the sentence matches the first word, your child freezes. If it matches the second word, they jump.
Example sentences:
- “We went to the sea.”
- “I can see my breath in the cold air.”
🧤 4. Outdoor Homophone Sort
Focus: Sorting words by meaning
What you need:
- Two hoops, buckets or chalk circles
How to play:
- Label each area with a homophone (e.g. bare / bear).
- Call out sentences.
- Your child moves to the correct word.
☃️ 5. Snowy Homophone Hunt
Focus: Applying homophones in real situations
How to play:
- While outside, look for chances to use homophones:
- which / witch
- right / write
- sun / son
- Say a sentence together and talk about which spelling fits.
❄️ 6. Snow‑Day Writing (Optional)
Focus: Writing sentences using homophones correctly
What to do:
- Encourage your child to write one or two sentences about the snow using a homophone, for example:
- We went too far on the icy path.
- I can hear the wind blowing.
Don’t worry about perfect spelling – the key learning is choosing the correct homophone.
✅ Helpful Notes for Parents
- These activities are optional and should be kept relaxed.
- Talking about word meaning is more important than writing lots.
- Short bursts (5–10 minutes) are plenty.
❄️ Enjoy the snow and stay safe!
Your child continues to build their English skills through talking, reading and exploring language together.