11 Fun Activities for Boosting Phonological Awareness

March 17, 2022

Phonological awareness—a child’s understanding of the sound structure of words—is a foundational skill that lays the groundwork for later reading success. In today’s post, we’re offering a collection of fun, low- or no-cost activities that will help you teach children the 4 components of phonological awareness: rhyming, syllable awareness, knowledge of words and sentences, and phonemic awareness.

Excerpted and adapted from two Brookes books ( Next STEPS in Literacy Instruction by Susan M. Smartt & Deborah R. Glaser, and Phonemic Awareness in Young Children by Marilyn Adams), these engaging activities can be used by early childhood educators and communication professionals—and shared with parents so they can continue the learning at home.

1. Block It (Syllables)

Explain that syllables are parts of words. Demonstrate by pushing out a block for each word part as you say a word. Return the blocks to a pile before trying the next word. Give each child small paper squares instead of blocks to use at their desk for a group activity. Have a prepared list of words to dictate for the practice. You may want to use vocabulary from one of your areas of study.

2. Take One Thing from the Box (Syllables)

Collect a number of objects in a box or basket. Make sure to include objects that differ from one another in the number of syllables in their name. Invite one student to close her or his eyes, choose an object from the container, and name it (e.g., “This is a pencil”). All of the children should repeat the chosen object’s name as they clap out its syllables. Then ask how many syllables were heard, taking care not to let anyone call out the answer too soon.

3. On My Way to the Store (Rhyme)

Have the students sit in a circle and provide something to toss, such as a small ball or beanbag. To begin the game, say, “I was on my way to the store to buy some cheese,” then toss the ball to a student. The student must repeat the phrase and add a rhyming word at the end, such as “I was on my way to the store to buy some peas (or trees, fleas, bees, knees, etc.).” Continue the game quickly so children do not lose interest.

4. The Ship is Loaded with… (Rhyme)

Seat the children in a circle, and make sure you have something to toss, such as a ball or a beanbag. To begin the game, say, “The ship is loaded with cheese.” Then toss the ball to somebody in the circle. This person must produce a rhyme (e.g., “The ship is loaded with peas”) and throw the ball back to you to continue the game.

5. Hearing Words in Sentences (Knowledge of Words and Sentences)

Give each child six or seven blocks, interlocking cubes, or heavy paper squares, which they will use to represent the words in a sentence you produce—one block for each word. Model how to repeat your sentences with pauses and arrange the blocks from left to right.

6. Animal Names (Phonemic Awareness)

Use animal picture cards or photos cut from magazines. Give students pictures and ask them to name the animals. Ask, “What sound do you hear at the beginning of that animal’s name?” This can be expanded with more pictures and can be “played” in centers with pairs of students.

7. Guess Who? (Phonemic Awareness)

With children seated in a circle, say “Guess whose name I’m going to say now.” Then secretly choose the name of one of the students and distinctly enunciate its initial phoneme only. Encourage children to guess the name based on the phoneme.

8. Basic Three-Sound Words (Phoneme Isolation & Identity)

Give yourself and each of the children three blocks. Start by saying a two-sound word (e.g., ice) clearly, and have the children repeat it. Show that words can also have more than two sounds.

9. Silly Words (Phoneme Isolation & Identity)

Give the children a sound and ask them to replace the initial sound in their names. The teacher may say, “The silly sound is /b/. Change the first sound in your name to /b/.”

10. Robot Talk (Phoneme Blending)

Say a word stretched out with each phoneme separated by about a second. The students then repeat the word back to you as a whole unit.

11. Head-Waist-Toes (Phoneme Segmentation)

Say a three-sound word, such as mitt. Students then stand and touch their heads, waists, and toes while identifying the sounds. Continue this process to help them recognize internal sounds.

Do you have a favorite phonological awareness activity for young children? Share yours.