# 9 Easy Activities to Boost Syllable and Phoneme Awareness

January 23, 2025

*Today’s post has been adapted from the chapter “Teaching Phonemic Awareness” by Lucy Hart Paulson, in **Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, Fourth Edition**, edited by Judith R. Birsh & Suzanne Carreker.*

Syllable and phoneme awareness—two early literacy building blocks—focus on blending and segmenting tasks. **Blending** is the ability to combine or synthesize a sequence of isolated word segments of syllables, onsets (initial sounds), or phonemes to produce a recognizable word (e.g., hearing _kan_– _ga – roo_ and saying “kangaroo”). **Segmentation** is the ability to analyze the segments of a word and isolate them by syllables, onsets, and individual phonemes (e.g., saying _kangaroo_ as “kan – ga – roo”).

Along with intentional lessons teaching phonological and phonemic awareness in an explicit, sequenced, and systematic manner, early childhood teachers can embed syllable and sound play in everyday routines and activities. Here are some examples of helpful instructional activities in preschool and kindergarten:

1. **Segment and blend students’ names** while taking attendance, first by the syllables, then with a focus on initial sounds, followed by a focus on ending sounds.
2. **Have children say new vocabulary words** by segmenting and blending the syllables to help them establish a phonological representation for the words and make more connections to deepen their learning.
3. **Play an I Spy game** by segmenting the word for an object or picture for children to identify by blending the word segments at their developmental level. For example, say, “I spy a _blan_– _ket._” Then, have them take turns segmenting a word for a partner to blend.
4. **Sort objects by beginning sounds.** Have children think of words that begin with a particular sound.
5. **Segment the onset–rime in consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words** for children to blend together while holding a picture of an object from their view. Do the same activity with a focus on the final sounds in single-syllable words. When children are successful at this level, try the middle sound of CVC words. As their skills progress, go to the next level by including CCVC and CVCC words.
6. **Use** [**Elkonin boxes**](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/evidence-based-literacy-strategy-elkonin-sound-boxes) to tap a finger or place chips in designated boxes to match the number of syllables in words.
7. **When giving directions, use “robot reporting.”** For example, say, “To – day – we – are – go – ing – to – the – li – bra – ry.”
8. **Compare picture pairs,** using a balance scale and counters, to see which word “weighs more” according to its number of syllables or phonemes. For example, a picture of a kangaroo will have three counters (representing its three syllables), in contrast to a picture of a donkey with two counters (for two syllables). The word _kangaroo_ “weighs” more than _donkey_.
9. **Find pictures and cut them into picture puzzles** based on syllables, initial sound, and individual phonemes. Have the students find the pieces for the puzzle pictures and segment and blend the word segments. Letters on the pictures provide a connection to the spelling patterns for the sounds and syllables in the words.

All of these strategies need to be developmentally appropriate. Remember to consider children’s level of development along the linguistic hierarchy. For preschool children to succeed in playing with phonemes, they may need more support from you, and so will children who are displaying difficulty with phonemic awareness learning.

For more specific guidance on planning instruction focused on phonemic awareness, see the dedicated chapter in [Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, Fourth Edition](https://products.brookespublishing.com/Multisensory-Teaching-of-Basic-Language-Skills-Fourth-Edition-P1240.aspx).

### Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, Fourth Edition

Edited by Judith R. Birsh, Ed.D., CALT-QI, & Suzanne Carreker, Ph.D., CALT-QI

“A **true gift** to all those who work so hard to teach children (and adults) to read. This **extremely thoughtful** book provides teachers with an in-depth A-to-Z of what you need to know to teach and reach all readers successfully—the **scientific and the practical**.”—Sally Shaywitz, author of Overcoming Dyslexia

**Reference**

Activities 7-9 from Paulson, L.H., Noble, L.A., Jepson, S., & van den Pol, R. (2001). _Building early literacy and language skills: A resource and activity guide for preschool and kindergarten._ Longmont, CO: Sopris West.