Activities for teaching letter sounds

Letters and Sounds: Practical Ideas for Parents

By: Texas Education Agency

Provide your child with the opportunity to learn that written words are made up of letters that match the sounds in spoken words.

Children can be taught to match the sounds with letters in an orderly and direct way. For example, the letter n matches the /n/ sound in nurse).

Here are some activities to try:

• Make letter-sounds and have your children write the letter or letters that match the sounds.
• Play word games that connect sounds with syllables and words (for example, if the letters "p-e-n" spell pen, how do you spell hen?).
• Write letters on cards. Hold up the cards one at a time and have your children say the sounds (for example, the /d/ sound for the letter d).
• Teach your children to match the letters in their names with the sounds in their names.
• Point out words that begin with the same letter as your children's names (for example, John and jump). Talk about how the beginning sounds of the words are alike.
• Use alphabet books and guessing games to give your children practice in matching letters and sounds. A good example is the game, "I am thinking of something that starts with /t/."
• Write letters on pieces of paper and put them in a paper bag. Let your children reach into the bag and take out letters. Have them say the sounds that match the letters.
• Take a letter and hide it in your hand. Let your children guess in which hand is the letter. Then show the letter and have your children say the letter name and make the sound (for example, the letter m matches the /m/ sound as in man).
• Make letter-sounds and ask your children to draw the matching letters in cornmeal or sand.
• Take egg cartons and put a paper letter in each slot until you have all the letters of the alphabet in order. Say letter-sounds and ask your children to pick out the letters that match those sounds.

Adapted from: Beginning Reading Instruction: Practical Ideas for Parents. Texas Education Agency.

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14 Phenomenal Phonics Activities for Preschoolers

It’s difficult to overstate how important reading and language are. These skills are the foundation for a lifetime of success, so it’s only natural if you’re seeking out ways to make sure the little ones in your care are on solid ground. One tried-and-true method for building literacy skills is through the use of phonics activities. In this article we’ll help explain what phonics are and share some excellent phonics activities we’ve found from preschool professionals.

What are phonics?

It’s pretty simple—phonics are just the relationships between letters and the sounds they make. For instance, the letter “p” sounds like /p/ and the letter combination of “tion” sounds /shun/. Though letter combinations like “tion” are more complex, preschoolers can get started learning to recognize simpler letter sounds.

Learning phonics will help young kids decode words to learn how they’re pronounced and what they mean. This will give them a leg up on writing and spelling. Normally learned between kindergarten and second grade, phonics activities are available for every age, including remarkably simple and amusing options for you and your child. We’ve gathered the best on the web just for you and your preschooler.

14 Fun phonics activities for preschoolers

1. Rainbow hop letter sounds game

This kinetic phonics game from Fun Learning for Kids transforms your living room into a life-sized board game. Simply use colored paper, one die and a marker to create a stepping-stone for every letter of the alphabet or however many you have room for. You can even include “ch” and “sh” pieces for more advanced learners. For the game, your child will roll the die, take the allotted number of hops and say and pronounce the letter that they land on. Perfect for playing with siblings or parents or friends, this active game will help your little one learn both letter sounds and counting.

2. Alphabet ball

Best played outside or in a gym, this super simple active game from Hands On As We Grow will keep your energetic preschooler moving, grooving and learning. First, the adult calls out a letter and the child responds with a word that begins with that letter. Then, the adult throws the ball to the child and the child gives the adult a letter to find a word for, and on and on. You can make the game even more fun by kicking the ball or chasing each other to tag with the ball. You can also play rhyming ball, where the thrower provides a word for the catcher to rhyme with.

3. Alphabet phonics clip cards

You can download these free, fun and easily portable phonics clip cards from Kids Activities. Using clothespins or any other kind of nonpermanent marker, your child will mark which animal name starts with the letter “z,” “b” or “s” depending on the card. These colorful cards enable your child to work on word association and sounds while in the car, waiting at the doctor’s office or relaxing at home.

4. Letter sounds race

This Letter Sounds Race from Inspiration Laboratories is perfect for your little sprinter. Place letter magnet opposite any magnetic surface—magnet board, the fridge or easel. While your kiddo stands near the magnet board, pronounce a letter sound, have them run to the letter magnets, pick out the corresponding letter and place it on the magnet board. You can help your younger child learn new letter sounds by asking them to find and place the letter, pronounce the letter sound and ask them to repeat it.

5. Phonic photo scavenger hunt

Get clicking with this bright idea from VeryWell Family. Have your preschooler create a photo album, either physical or digital, with a photo of an item for every letter sound: “a” for anthill to “z” for zoo. This is an easy way to keep the learning flowing while on vacation or on the go. This can be done again and again to learn new sounds like “ch” or “sh.”

6. Spin & rhyme

No Time For Flash Cards suggests a creative alternative to boring work sheets. Use a paper towel roll and clothes hanger to easily create rhyming words (e.g., cat, pat, mat, sat). This exercise also helps your little one learn how to break down words and identify word families. The simple setup is easy to transport and provides a kinetic twist to a basic phonics activity.

7. Erase the sound

Your little artist will love this simple and visually stimulating activity. Draw a picture on a whiteboard or chalkboard, name individual letters and have your child identify and erase items in the picture that start with that letter. PreKinders suggests drawing a snowman with a hat for “h,” buttons for “b” and carrot for “c.” If your child is old enough, you could also reverse the roles of artist and eraser, once they see how it’s done.

8. Mystery bag

In this tactile activity from PreKinders, you’ll place three objects within a bag—like a ball, bug and button for the letter “b”—have your child name each item, and guess the “mystery letter” that unites all of the objects. If you have more than one little one learning phonics, you can have them fill a bag for the others with objects around the house to have the others guess.

9. 4 in a row

The Measured Mom recommends this game for older preschoolers who can count to four and know most of their letters, but need a bit of review. You can print this simple sheet from this website and take turns naming and pronouncing a letter. When you or your child names a letter correctly, you can color it in or cover it with a small object or game piece. The first to get four in a row wins!

10. Kaboom alphabet

Using just jumbo craft sticks and a cup, each player will pull a stick out of the cup and say the sound of the letter written on the stick they draw. Then, they get to keep that stick. But “KABOOM” is written on one stick and every time it’s pulled, the unlucky player has to put all their sticks back in the cup. You can even set a timer as Fun Learning for Kids recommends for a fun speed-round version.

11. Say two words

This simple game from PreKinders requires zero materials and allows kiddos to stretch their legs and get some energy out. When you say two words that begin with the same sound, they should stand up as fast as they can, but stay seated if the words do not begin with the same sound. If playing with more children, you can create an elimination system, so that there’s one clear winner determined.

12. Monster names

This simple activity from PreKinders is fun anytime and takes absolutely zero setup. Have preschoolers replace the first letter of their name with the letter “M,” and add ‘mad’ to the beginning. For example, Ashely would become Mad Monster Mashlyn. The kiddos can then stomp around, growl and play monsters with each other. This simple approach for reinforcing phonetic sounds can obviously be expanded and modified for further practice (e.g., Cool Cat Cashlyn, Funny Fish Fashlyn, etc.).

13. Smack the letter

Fun Learning for Kids recommends this flexible and fun game. Preschoolers will love getting to use a flyswatter to hit the letters you write on sticky notes and pronounce for them to identify. You can pick the letter sounds they most need to work on. If playing with a peer, this game can become a race. Two to three children can play for points to see who can reach 10 first. It can also be played tournament-style, if you’re working with a larger group.

14. Phonics I-Spy discovery bottle

Imagination Tree offers this fun boredom buster. Fill a large juice bottle with a variety of small items that start with various letters, using rice or sand as a filler for the remaining space. To play, use an alphabet deck or phonics clip cards to pick a letter and have your child shake the bottle and hunt for the item with the corresponding beginning letter.

Make phonics fun!

If these ideas excite you, it probably isn’t because you only love phonics. It’s more likely you love helping little ones develop their minds too. If making a career out of that love sounds like a bright idea, learn about just how important early childhood education is and how you could play a role in it.

Letter sounds. Words and sounds. | Plan-summary of a lesson in teaching literacy:

Sounds of a letter. Words and sounds.

Purpose: To immerse children in the world of sounds, develop interest in them, draw their attention to the sound (external) side of speech. It can be heard and spoken; the word can be short or long. Make it clear that words are made from sounds.

Material. Green stripes are long, red are short.

1. The wise Owl offered to go on a long journey to the country of the ABC, where letters live. But the way to the country of the ABC lies through the country of sounds. This country is invisible, but it surrounds us everywhere, because sounds are everywhere, they cannot be seen. They can only be heard or spoken.

-Close your eyes and listen. What sounds will you hear?

- Say how the car honks, how they laugh, how the wolf howls, how the dog barks, how the cat meows.

- So, all that we have now said and heard is the sounds. And sounds are considered everything that can be heard and pronounced. During our journey, we will find out what speech sounds are, how they arise, how they are pronounced, how they are friends with each other. We also learn that sounds are represented by letters.

- Where are we going with you? (to the country of the ABC).

- Which country do we have to pass before we get to the ABC (the country of sounds).

- Are you ready to travel to the land of sounds?

- Then blow like a tu-tu train.

- How the wagons choo-choo-choo rattle

- Here we are in the land of sounds.

Game What sounds did you hear.

(children imitate cows, horses, etc.)

2. - Animals make these sounds, and people make speech sounds. Words are made from them. It turns out the sounds originate in the mouth.

- What is in each of our mouths? (teeth, tongue).

- And if we close our mouth, what prevents us from seeing teeth and tongue? (Lips and cheeks.)

- Try to close your mouth tightly and say "Hello" without opening your mouth.

(Children try to pronounce this word with their mouth closed.)

- Were you able to pronounce the word "hello" correctly with your mouth closed? (No)

-Is it possible to speak without the help of lips, cheeks and teeth? (Not allowed)

- Listen to the tale of a cheerful tongue and repeat after me all the movements of the tongue.

Once upon a time there was a cheerful tongue in the world. He had his own house - his mouth. Walls are cheeks (children puff out their cheeks), windows are lips and teeth (children smile and show teeth). The tongue is very neat. Every day he put things in order in his house: he cleaned the walls - cheeks (children run their tongue along the inside of the cheeks), the ceiling, which is called the palate (along the palate), washed the floor - the lower jaw (on the inside of the lower jaw), wiped the windows (children open the mouth wide and run the tongue over the upper and lower teeth).

One day Merry Tongue got bored. He opened the window (they open their mouths wide), looked out into the street (stick their tongue out), looked around (movement of the tongue in different directions), up, down. I saw a crow and got scared, hid in my house (the children put their tongues inside) and closed the windows (they close their mouths).

3. While I was telling you a story, Wise Owl put 2 strips. - How do they differ?...

Words can also be long and short. There are many sounds in long words, so they are pronounced for a long time. For example: te-le-vi-zor, speed-in-rod-ka. And in short words there are few sounds. For example: poppy, house. These words are pronounced briefly. I will name the words, and you must determine the short or long word and show the corresponding strip. (nurse, gnome, fan, garden, hairdresser, smoke)

Physical education session

“Short - long word”

(dandelion, salad bowl, chair, gladiolus, varnish, bus station)

- Name the long (short) words yourself. (if children find it difficult to use pictures)

4. What new did you learn at the lesson? What have you learned?

- Listen to the tale of the Merry Tongue and repeat after me all the movements of the tongue. (mirrors go out).

Once upon a time there lived a Merry Tongue. He had his own home - his mouth. Walls - cheeks (children puff out their cheeks), windows - lips and teeth (children smile and show their teeth).

The tongue was very neat. Every day he put things in order in his house: he cleaned the walls - cheeks (children run their tongue along the inside of their cheeks), the ceiling, which is called the palate (along the palate), washed the floor - the lower jaw (on the inside of the lower jaw), wiped the windows (children open the mouth wide and run the tongue over the upper and lower teeth).

Once the Merry Tongue got bored. He opened the window (they open their mouths wide), looked out into the street (stick their tongue out), looked around (movement of the tongue in different directions), up, down. I saw a crow and got scared, hid in my house (the children put their tongues inside) and closed the windows (they close their mouths).

“Journey to the City of Letters and Sounds”

Summary of the frontal lesson on teaching literacy (in the preparatory group) Topic: “Journey to the city of letters and sounds”

Speech therapist Salina Svetlana Viktorovna, Trans-Baikal Territory, Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky

Goals and objectives of the lesson

Correctional and educational: continue to teach sound analysis and word synthesis; to fix the graphic image of letters, visual attention; to consolidate the skill of reading syllables and words.

Correction-developing: to develop phonemic and speech hearing, to form an orientation in the sound system of the language; develop visual perception, attention, memory; enrich vocabulary, practically introducing antonyms.

Correctional and educational: create a good mood, cultivate accuracy, kindness, the ability to follow the rules of the game; desire and ability to work in a team, encourage activity and independence

Equipment: map, easel, rebus, didactic games “Collect flowers” ​​ and “Fisherman” , envelopes with assignments, handouts (sound chips, noise) , sun, pictures elephants, wolves) , pebbles, shells, letters, binoculars.

Activity in progress.

Organizational moment.

(Children stand in a circle, greet each other with the help of a toy sun.)

Speech therapist. With its warmth, the sun radiates goodness and conveys it to people who hold it in their hands. We will pass it with our right hand, addressing each other by name and wishing good morning.

(Soothing melody sounds.)

Introduction to the topic. Problematic situation.

(A voice from a magic box sounds.) “I am the Queen of Grammar, the mistress of the Sound Kingdom, the Letter State, I ask you for help. An evil wizard, the Book-eater, made his way into my country and bewitched all its inhabitants, and now we have anger and confusion. He keeps his spell in a magic word. By collecting all the letters, you will be able to recognize this magic word, and then the witchcraft will disappear along with the one who cast it.0097 .