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That's a complicated sounding term, but it's meaning is simple: the ability to hear, recognize, and play with the sounds in spoken language. Phonological awareness is really a group of skills that include a child's ability to:

Identify words that rhyme

Count the number of syllables in a name

Recognize alliteration (words with the same beginning sound)

Segment (break) a sentence into words

Identify the syllables in a word

The most sophisticated phonological awareness skill (and the last to develop) is called phonemic awareness - the ability to hear, recognize, and play with the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. When playing with the sounds in word, children learn to:

Blend individual sounds to make a word

Stretch out a word into its individual sounds

Swap in a different sound to the beginning, middle, or end of a word to make a new word

Strong phonemic awareness is one of the strongest predictors of later reading success. Children who struggle with reading, including kids with dyslexia, often have trouble with phonemic awareness, but with the right kind of instruction they can be successful. Learn some of the warning signs for dyslexia in this article, Clues to Dyslexia in Early Childhood.

Parents can make a big difference in helping their children become readers by practicing these pre-reading oral skills at home. Try some of the simple rhyming and word sound games described here.

Try these speech sound activities at home

Rhyme time

"I am thinking of an animal that rhymes with big. What's the animal?" Answer: pig. What else rhymes with big? ( dig, fig, wig)

Road trip rhymes

While you're out driving in the car, spot something out the window and ask your child, "what rhymes with tree or car or shop?" Then switch roles and have your child spot something and ask you for a rhyme. This can turn into a game of nonsense rhymes ("What rhymes with tree stump?") but that's great for practicing sounds, too!

Word families

Word families are sets of words that rhyme. Start to build your family by giving your child the first word, for example, cat. Then ask your child to name all the "kids" in the cat family, such as: bat, fat, sat, rat, pat, mat, hat, flat. This will help your child hear patterns in words.

Silly tongue twisters

Sing songs and say silly tongue twisters. These help your child become sensitive to the sounds in words.

Tongue ticklers

Alliteration or "tongue ticklers" - where the sound you're focusing on is repeated over and over again - can be a fun way to provide practice with a speech sound. Try these:

For M: Miss Mouse makes marvelous meatballs!

For S: Silly Sally sings songs about snakes and snails.

For F: Freddy finds fireflies with a flashlight.

Syllable shopping

While at the grocery store, have your child tell you the syllables in different food names. Have them hold up a finger for each word part. Eggplant = egg-plant, two syllables. Pineapple = pine-ap-ple, three syllables. Show your child the sign for each and ask her to say the word.

"I spy" first sounds

Practice beginning sounds with this simple "I spy" game at home, on a walk, or at the grocery store. Choose words with distinctive, easy-to-hear beginning sounds. For example, if you're in the bathroom you can say, "I spy something red that starts with the "s" ssss sound ( soap)."

Sound scavenger hunt

Choose a letter sound, then have your child find things around your house that start with the same sound. "Can you find something in our house that starts with the letter "p" pppppp sound? Picture, pencil, pear "

Which letter sounds do I teach first?

Reading expert Linda Farrell recommends that you begin with teaching the letter names, and then focus on the letter sounds that are closest to their letter names (such as /v/). And here's a great tip for teaching the trickier letter name-letter sound combinations - use arm motions. In this video, Linda demonstrates motions for /x/ and /y/. (From our video series Reading SOS: Expert Answers to Family Questions About Reading.)

Sound games

Practice blending sounds into words. Ask "Can you guess what this word is? m - o - p." Hold each sound longer than normal.

First sounds

When you're reading together with your child, pick a word from the book and say it with emphasis on the first sound. Pick another word and compare them. "Zzz-zookeeper and rrr-rhinoceros. Can you hear what sound zzz-zookeeper starts with? Is it the same as rrr-rhinoceros?

Jump, skip, hop!

Create simple picture cards that you draw or cut out of magazines. Have your child, identify what's in the picture, and then break that word into its individual sounds. For example dog is d-o-g, three sounds (phonemes). Three sounds? You and your child do three jumping jacks, skips, or hops (followed by a high-five). You can also do this game outdoors without the cards, just call out simple words for your child.

Snail talk

Tell your child you're going to communicate in "snail talk" and they need to figure out what you're saying. Take a simple word and stretch it out very slowly (e.g., /fffffllllaaaag/), then ask your child to tell you the word. Switch roles and have your child stretch out a word for you.

"I spy" blending

Here's an easy phoneme blending game you can play while talking a walk. For blending, you can say, "I see a sign that says s-t-o-p" Then your child has to blend the sounds to guess your word - stop. (Remember to say only the sounds in the word - not the letters.) Keep the words short, moving from two to three to four sounds depending on your child's skill level.

Sound counting

Using LEGO bricks, beads, or pennies, say a word and have your child show you how many sounds the word makes. For example, top = t-o-p = three sounds, so your child would place three objects in a row. Then have them tap each object as they say the sound. Remember, your child is just showing you the sounds they hear. So the word bike would be = b-i-k (silent e) = only three sounds.

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Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for Your Kindergartener

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Phonological and phonemic awareness are important pre-reading skills, related to the ability to hear, identify, and play with the sounds in spoken language - including rhymes, syllables, and the smallest units of sound (phonemes). Children with strong phonological awareness skills are ready to become readers.

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8 Easy Phonemic Awareness Activities - Begin Learning

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Phonemic awareness activities help kids develop an essential core reading skill. Get 8 easy ones from Begin's early learning experts!

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Help your child identify phonemes in words.

Allow them to chunk words.

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Ways to Practice at Home Phonemic Awareness

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Browse ways to practice at home phonemic awareness resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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Phonemic Awareness for Parents - Begin Learning

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Phonemic awareness helps kids become stronger readers. Find out how with the early learning experts at Begin!

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Once children have a solid grounding in the sounds of speech (phonemic awareness) they are ready to learn how these speech sounds are connected with the letters of the alphabet. And they begin to learn that there are predicable patterns in sound-letter relationships. They will take their first steps into "decoding" - sounding out simple words.

In kindergarten, your child will start with basic CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant words) such as c-a-p, say each sound individually, and then begin blending the sounds into a word. Decoding takes a lot of practice! You can help your child build phonics skills with some of the activities described here - and by offering lots of encouragement as your child gains confidence with this big step into becoming a reader.

Here are some basic tips on how to help your child build phonics skills:

Help your child learn the names of the letters and the sounds the letters make. Turn it into a game! "I'm thinking of a letter and it makes the sound mmmmmm."

That means to follow the words with your finger from left to right as you read them. Your beginning reader will do the same thing for awhile.

Beginning readers may read slowly. Give your child time to decode the words, and avoid jumping in too quickly.

If your child is stuck on a word, prompt them to look at the first letter of the word and make the letter's sound. Of course, only do this for words that can be sounded out! If the word can't be sounded out, just supply the word for them.

Try these phonics activities at home

Alphabet scavenger hunt

Be sure your kindergartner knows all of her uppercase and lowercase letters. One fun and easy way to practice is to pick up a favorite read aloud book and have your child find each letter in the print, in alphabetical order. Ask your child if some letters are harder to spot in every book, and guess why that might be.

Grocery store literacy

Choose a letter as you're walking into the store. Make a game of finding things in the store that start with that letter. For example, for the letter "p" you could find peanuts, popcorn, pineapple, paper and pizza. Emphasize the letter "p" and the sound it makes with each of your "p" words.

Trace and say

Have your child use a finger to trace a letter while saying the letter's sound. Your child can trace on paper, in sand, or on a plate of sugar. Next, see if your child can trace a simple two- or three-letter word (it, at, sat) and sound it out.

The "H Brothers"

Explain to your child that sometimes two letters will stand together to create one new sound. The "H Brothers" join with other letters to make the sounds: sh, ch, th, wh and ph. Write down some example words and use multisensory props and gestures to help your child remember the new letter combination. Here's a fun idea for telling the story of the H Brothers to reinforce the concept.

Fridge fun

Magnetic letters can provide lots of easy phonics practice right in your kitchen. For an alphabet refresher, ask your child to arrange the letters in alphabetical order. Next, ask her to pick out a letter, think of a simple three- or four-letter word that starts with that letter, and spell it out on the refrigerator. Can your child think of more words to spell with that first letter? Finally, see if she can change one letter in the word to make a new word.

Scrambled words

Draw three boxes side by side on a piece of paper. Using magnetic letters or letters written on paper, scramble the letters of a simple three-letter word (big, bug, top, ran) under the boxes. Have your child unscramble the letters and place them into the correct box.

Extra, extra!

Ask your child to find and cut out all the words in a newspaper or magazine that she can read. Glue or tape them onto a piece of paper and practice reading them together.

Dig into decodable books

Through read alouds, kindergarteners should be exposed to a wide range of books that introduce them to rich vocabulary and story structure. But there is also a role for decodable books to help your child practice beginning phonics skills. Decodable books contain a high percentage of words with predictable letter-sound relationships. You'll find a comprehensive list of K-2 books here: Decodable Text Sources.

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Phonics and Decoding: Activities for Your Kindergartener

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The goal of phonics instruction is to help children learn the alphabetic principle - the idea that letters represent the sounds of spoken language - and that there is an organized, logical, and predictable relationship between written letters and spoken sounds.

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Phonics is one of the five essential components of the science of reading, along with phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Phonics activities help young learners break words into their constituent sounds so they build their literacy skills, bit by bit. Here are some of our favorite ways to teach these key skills.

1. Sing a phonics song

Singing songs is such a fun and effective way to learn! Kids will love to watch and sing along, and might not even realize they're learning along the way.

Learn more: 15 Phonics Songs for Kids at We Are Teachers

2. Color in the beginning sounds

Most kids start learning phonics by mastering the beginning sounds of words. Have kids color in the words that start with the matching sound on these cute and free worksheets.

Learn more: Beginning Sounds Coloring Pages at The Measured Mom

3. Use Google Slides

Google Slides has tons of fun phonics activities kids can use in the classroom or at home.

Learn more: 18 Interactive Google Slides for Teaching Phonics and Sight Words at We Are Teachers

4. Hang phonics anchor charts

When it comes to phonics, there's a lot to learn. Post anchor charts around the room to help kids remember important rules like silent E, vowel blends, and hard and soft C and G.

Learn more: 20 Perfect Anchor Charts for Teaching Phonics and Blends at We Are Teachers

5. Build words with a chart of beginning sounds

Grab this free printable chart and print out copies for your students to use with their phonics activities. There's a version for rimes too.

Learn more: Beginning Sounds Chart at This Reading Mama

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6. Learn digraphs with clip wheels

Combine fine motor skills practice with phonics work with these free beginning digraph wheels. Tip: Add small dots on the back to mark the right answers so kids can self-correct their work.

Learn more: Digraph Wheels at Playdough to Plato

7. Slap the letter sounds

Sounding out words letter by letter is a lot more fun when you slap each letter with a flyswatter! This is a great idea for active learners.

Learn more: Letter Sound Slap at Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

8. Walk the word

This one will also keep active learners moving and happy! Write words in sidewalk chalk, then walk (or hop or skip) along them, sounding the word out along the way. Simple but fun!

Learn more: Gross Motor Phonics Game: Walk the Word at Coffee Cups and Crayons

9. Fill in the missing letters

This active game combines a scavenger hunt with phonics! Hide sticky notes around the room with various vowels. Then, write CVC words with the vowels missing. Have kids hunt for the missing sounds and fill them in. Fun!

Learn more: Missing Sounds Reading Activity at Busy Toddler

10. Just swap one letter

As students move from box to box, they change one letter to make the new word represented by the picture. They might need to change the first, middle, or last letter, so it's a real challenge!

Learn more: Just Swap One at This Reading Mama

11. Make magic spoons

Pick up a pack of plastic spoons at the dollar store, then use them to practice building words by combining beginning sounds with word endings.

Learn more: Activities To Teach Phonics and Math at Education to the Core

12. Toss and blend with plastic cups

Grab a stack of plastic cups and some Ping-Pong balls for this fun phonics game. Label the cups with different letter blends and set them out (tape them down if they tend to fall over). Kids toss a ball into a cup, then come up with a word that uses that letter blend to earn a point.

Learn more: Toss and Blend at Education.com

13. Flip the pages

Divide the pages of a small notebook into thirds, then write letters on each page. Flip them to form new words.

Learn more: Phoneme Substitution Activities at Tickled Pink in Primary

14. Mix and match cups to make words

If you've still got some cups left over, label them with more letters or letter blends, then use them to mix and match words. This is an especially fun way to work on CVC and sight words.

Learn more: CVC Cups at Inspired Elementary

15. Hack pool noodles into phonics tools

This has got to be one of our favorite phonics activities. Cut a pool noodle into pieces and label it with letters. Then stack and spin for learning fun!

Learn more: Pool Noodle Phonics at We Are Teachers

16. Spin and rhyme

Here's a different spin (pun intended!) on Pool Noodle Phonics. All you need is a cardboard tube, a wire pants hanger, scissors, and a marker to make this fun DIY rhyming activity.

Learn more: Spin and Rhyme at No Time for Flash Cards

17. Make some phonics cubes

Slide the free printable inserts into a set of photo cubes, then roll until you get the correct combination of letter and word ending.

Learn more: Phonics Cubes at This Reading Mama

18. Use paint stirrers to make word pull-outs

These clever phonics tools are easy to make using paint stirrer sticks and paper towel tubes. Simply slide the stick in and out to make new words!

Learn more: Word Family Pull-Out Activity at I Can Teach My Child

19. Play a flip-top phonics game

If you go through packages of wipes like most parents do, you'll appreciate this idea. Save the flip tops and use them for DIY phonics activities.

Learn more: Flip Top Phonics Games for Kids at No Time for Flash Cards

20. Use a pocket chart for phonics activities

Here's another reason teachers love pocket charts: They're great for phonics centers. Sort and match cards to practice beginning sounds, blends, short and long vowels, and so much more.

Learn more: Short A Activities and Resources at Miss Giraffe's Class

21. Compete at Blends and Digraphs Bingo

Every kid loves a good game of bingo! Snag these free printable bingo cards and use them to practice blends and digraphs.

Learn more: Blends and Digraph Bingo at The Measured Mom

22. Toss some phonics water balloons

This one almost seems too fun to count as learning! Tape up beginning sounds, then toss water balloons to complete the words.

Learn more: Water Balloon Phonics at Mess for Less

23. Race to the Top with blends and digraphs

Play this free printable game to practice consonant blends. Toss a chip onto the board and say that word out loud. Then move the counter for the correct blend up one space. First to the top wins!

Learn more: Blends and Digraphs Games at This Reading Mama

24. Try locks and keys to learn phonics

This self-correcting phonics activity is also a good way to practice fine motor skills ... and a lot of fun to boot! Label keys with beginning sounds and locks with word endings, then match them up and try the key to see if you're right.

Learn more: Unlock and Learn Game at We Are Teachers

25. Play Phonogram Connect 4

Draw a word card and find an open phonogram slot on the board. Your goal is to get four in a row!

Learn more: Phonogram Connect Four at Mrs. T's First Grade Class

26. Teach them the Soft C & G Chant

Simple little chants like this will help kids remember some of those confusing language rules. Pair it with other favorites like " I before E, except after C."

Learn more: Soft C and G at This Reading Mama

27. Mix, color, and spell

We can't get enough of games that reinforce CVC words with short vowels-it's such an important early literacy skill! Practice identifying and distinguishing between vowels by coloring in the middle sound from pictures of CVC words.

Learn more: Teaching CVC Words at Susan Jones Teaching

28. Write the Room: Digraphs

Use this fun little letter scavenger hunt to move around the room to search for pictures with digraphs. First, mark the ones you find with a dot marker and then use another sheet to write the digraphs.

Learn more: Beginning Digraphs Write the Room at ABC's of Literacy

29. Use disappearing ink for letter formation

One of the first keys to early reading success is letter identification and formation. Keep it fresh by using "disappearing ink" (aka water) so students have to trace letters multiple times to prevent them from disappearing too fast. With so few materials and such high engagement, what's not to love?

Learn more: 3 Simple Play-Based Phonics Activities at Research and Play

30. Do word sorts

Word sorts are great for comparing word patterns that make the same sound, like vowel teams. They can also help reinforce so many different phonics skills, making them the perfect activity that can be easy differentiated for learners of all stages.

Learn more: Using Word Sorts for Phonics Instruction at Mrs. Winter's Bliss

31. Roll and Read

Roll a die and read the word from the corresponding column. Play with a partner or do it solo by coloring in the words as you read them.

Learn more: Lesson 79 Roll and Read at UFLI. While you're there, check out the UFLI free lesson resources, which include decodable passages and games for almost every phonics skill!

32. Roll letter dice

A perfect DIY idea for old blocks! Use three blocks and write consonants on two of them and vowels on the other. Have some fun rolling and blending CVC words.

Learn more: DIY Phonics Games at Early Impact Learning

33. Sort syllable types

If you are teaching the different syllable types, this word sort helps students practice their knowledge of the six types and shows you what they know.

Learn more: Six-Way Syllable Sort at Florida Center for Reading Research. Also, check out the many other phonics resources available by grade level: Kindergarten and First Grade or Second and Third Grades.

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33 Fun Phonics Activities and Games for Early Readers

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Help kids learn to read with phonics activities that break words into their basic sounds, like phonemes, digraphs, diphthongs, and more.

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Help your child build their phonics skills by identifying letters and sounds.

Play a guessing game with name that sound.

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Many parents want to support their children with reading. When kids are learning to read, especially in Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade, they need plenty of opportunities to practice phonics skills. Practicing phonics skills at home can support what's happening in the classroom and lead to success with reading. So in this article, we're sharing 7 fun phonics activities for parents to do at home!

Before we get into the actual activities, it's important to consider where to start. Your child's teacher or school may provide you with information about what skill(s) they are working on, based upon the reading or phonics program they are using. And if they don't already share that information with you, you can always ask!

If that information is not available for some reason, check out our free phonics scope and sequence pdf and make an educated guess about what skills your child should be working on.

Let's dive into these fun activities!

When kids are learning a phonics skill (i.e. the sound for the letter m, or the digraph ch), it's important for them to see examples of the skill being used in real words and books. Scavenger hunts are a fun way to accomplish this!

If your child is learning the alphabet, for example, choose a letter and have them look in books, magazines - or on any type of print you might have in your home. You can also do this in the car; they can search for the letter on billboards and signs!

If your child is reading and working on more complex patterns like the vowel team "ea," you can do the scavenger hunt as described above, but your child will look for whole words with that pattern. You can also have them look for words with the phonics pattern in the books that they're reading and/or the books you read aloud to them.

To increase the fun, try giving them a goal number of letters or words to find - make it a little challenging, but still attainable! They can use a piece of paper to draw a checkmark every time they find an example, or even write the word that contains the example.
Activity #2: Modified Phonics Board Games
If you have any board games at home, change the directions slightly! Every time a player takes a turn, they move their piece (and follow any directions on the game) AND they have to pull a card from a stack.
Activity #3: Fun Phonics Writing Activity #4: "What's the Sound?" Phonics Activity
The stack of cards would be created by you, and the cards would contain alphabet letters (they can say the letter name and/or sound) OR words that match the skill you want to work on (they would read the word out loud).

Practicing writing letters and words is an important part of phonics! You can make it fun by having students paint, write in shaving cream spread thinly on a table, trace in sand - or use any other type of material that sounds fun. After they've written a letter or word, have them tell you the letter sound or read the word to you.
Activity #5: At-Home Phonics Treasure Hunt
For this activity, grab a few of your child's toys and some other small objects around the house. Place them on the table. Have your child select one object at a time and tell you the first sound (and perhaps letter) in the word.
Activity #6: Word Building with Magnetic Letters
If this is easy for your child (it may be easy for first grade and up), have them tell you the last sound or the vowel sound(s) instead!

For this game, you'll need some index cards with alphabet letters or words written on them. Hide the index cards around your home. Tell your child how many cards they have to find. When your child finds a card, they have to say the letter sound OR read the word aloud.
Activity #7: Go To The Library!
Do you have a magnetic refrigerator, cabinet, or cookie sheet in your home? If so, have your child use magnetic letters to practice building words! Just like with the other activities, you'll want to choose words that have a phonics pattern the child is learning.

Another activity you can have them do with magnetic letters: make separate groups of consonants and vowels.

This one technically isn't done at home - but it's an important one! While it's valuable to have students read individual words, it's also important that they practice reading complete texts (when they are able to do so). So head to your local library!

If you need guidance selecting appropriate books for your child (whether it's for the child to read or for you to read to them), don't hesitate to ask the librarian or even your child's teacher. They will be happy to help you support your child with their reading!

So there you have it - 7 phonics activities for parents to do at home, and they're lots of fun, too! We hope you enjoy these activities!

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7 Fun, Free Phonics Activities for Parents to Do at Home

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Many parents want to support their children with reading. When kids are learning to read, especially in Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade, they need plenty of opportunities to practice phonics skills. Practicing phonics skills at home can support what's happening in the classroom and lead to success with reading.

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Help your child strengthen their literacy skills at any stage of development.

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Explore this post and more from the teaching community

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Early elementary teachers can use these fun activities to help make vocabulary lessons accessible for all of their students.

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Ask your child questions about words to build their vocabulary.

Use visual aids to define vocabulary words.

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Some general tips:

Describe what your child is doing, talk about what you are doing, expand on your child's expressive language.

Pair visuals with new vocabulary- pictures, videos, objects, actions. Identify and discuss attributes such as hard, soft, rough, smooth, providing actual examples for your child to feel.

Make book reading interactive-ask questions, make comments, point out examples of vocabulary in pictures. See the dialogic reading example in the Day 10 Comprehension post.

Read books targeting parts of speech and specific aspects of language. These ones are available on Epic!, which is free right now. Many of them are written by author Brian P. Cleary, and there are still others by him that I have not listed here. Don't the titles make them sound like fun?!

How Much Can a Bare Bear Bear and A Bat Cannot Bat, A Stair Cannot Stare (homophones)

Thumbtacks, Earwax, Lipstick, Dipstick (compound words)

Quirky, Jerky, Extra Perky (adjectives)

Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely and Lazily, Crazily and Just a Bit Nasally (adverbs)

A Lime, a Mime, a Pool of Slime (nouns)

Slide and Slurp, Scratch and Burp (verbs)

I and You and Sometimes Who (pronouns)

I'm and Won't They're and Don't (contractions)

Pitch and Throw, Grasp and Know, Stroll and Walk, Babble and Talk, The Many Kinds of Small, The Many Kinds of Hot, The Many Kinds of Clean, The Many Kinds of Cold (synonyms)

Stop and Go, Yes and No and Straight and Curvy, Meek and Nervy (antonyms)

Under, Over, By the Clover (prepositions)

It's Raining Cats and Frogs, My Grandma Likes to Say, My Teacher Likes to Say and My Momma Likes to Say (idioms and expressions)

Encourage older children to listen to books read aloud.

Categorize new vocabulary, for example: how we move, things we eat, places we go, how you feel.

Provide repetition and multiple exposures with new vocabulary.

Word of the Day
Use the organizer provided on Day 5 of Build Your Home Learning Kit to create a Word of the Day book by printing multiple pages to keep in a duo-tang or folder. Here is a link to the document if you'd rather save it on your computer and fill it out digitally, which makes adding images rather than drawing them easier.

Choose a word of the day: Anything goes, but it may be more motivating to start with words related to something your child is interested in. These image quizzes are fun and can help you find words your child is unfamiliar with. Keep it fun and make sure your child knows that it is okay if they don't get all the answers correct; you are trying to find words they don't know!

What it Means: Ask your child if they know what the word means. If they do, try to expand on their definition or make it clearer. If they don't, give them the meaning in language they will understand. These online dictionaries have simple definitions: Cambridge Learner's Dictionary | YourDictionary | Word Hippo

Synonyms: Ask your child if they can think of other words that mean the same. If not, help them look up synonyms. The dictionary links above provide synonyms as well.

Draw or find a picture: Have your child draw a picture of the word or use Google images to find an image to add.

Challenge your child to use their new vocabulary words throughout the day and week! Consider starting a chart to keep track of every time they use one of their new words. provide opportunities to use the words in different ways. For example, if you are working on writing, use a picture prompt that may elicit use of their vocabulary words. See our Day 13 Writing Post for more info on writing with your child.
Shoot for the SSTaRS!
The Hanen Centre has some great information about building your child's vocabulary.
Jamboard
Using visuals when teaching new vocabulary and concepts can be very effective. This is a Google app called Jamboard. It is very user friendly. To find it, use Google as your browser and click on the little square of dots in the right-hand corner.

My example of a Spring Jamboard shows how to use pictures to expand your child's understanding of a concept like seasons, while also introducing new vocabulary associated with the concept. You can take turns adding pictures to your board, letting your child add familiar vocabulary while you introduce new vocabulary or vocabulary that they may not associate with that concept. The example uses short sentences, but single words may be more appropriate depending on your child's language level. I love that you can search, add the picture and add the words or sentences all in one place. Single words can also be illustrated with a collection of pictures, for example: family, vehicle, exercise, dance, music, old, play, work.

Apps to Try:
Special Words
Special Words has added some new downloadable vocabulary sets for users who have purchased this app. They are available for download until April 30, 2020. Once you have downloaded the resources you can continue to use them after this date.

Night & Day Studios, Inc.
Peek- a- Boo Barn, Peek- a- Boo Wild, Peek- a- Boo Friends, Peek- a- Boo Fridge, Peek- a- Boo Forest and more!

PlayHome Software Ltd.
My PlayHome, My PlayHome Hospital, My PlayHome Stores and My PlayHome School provide lots of opportunites for conversation and using vocabulary in context.

Toca Boca
These are fabulous apps for interacting with your child. The actual app does not provide any language, so you and your child can describe and talk about what you are doing as you play together. These apps also provide great opportunities to practice turn taking.

Word Hippo
Synonyms, antonyms, definitions, rhymes, sentences and more! Available as an app and web based.

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Learn at Home Activities for Vocabulary - Down Syndrome Resource Foundation

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Some general tips: Describe what your child is doing, talk about what you are doing, expand on your child's expressive language. Pair visuals with new vocabulary- pictures, videos, objects, actions. Identify and discuss attributes such as hard, soft, rough, smooth, providing actual examples for your child to feel.

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Activities to Build Your Child’s Vocabulary at Home

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Here are the four types of vocabulary, with easy activities parents can do with their child at home.

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Fluency: Activities for Your First Grader

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Reading fluency is a child’s ability to read a book or other text accurately, with reasonable speed, and with appropriate expression. A fluent reader doesn’t have to stop and “decode” each word and can focus attention on what the story or text means. Fluency is the bridge between decoding words and understanding what has been read!

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Fluency is the ability to speak or read a language with ease and accuracy, and it is an essential component of language proficiency. When students aren't fluent they not only speak in fragments but also have difficulty understanding what is being said. This is why it is important to incorporate activities to increase fluency into routine reading instruction and reading intervention.

Fluency activities are designed to help English Learners improve their fluency by providing opportunities to practice speaking and listening in a natural and fun way. We'll explore some effective fluency activities that can be used in the classroom or at home to help language learners develop their fluency and reading skills. These activities are designed to be fun and engaging while also providing learners with the opportunity to practice their language skills in a real-life context.

Why Is Reading Fluency Important?

Building fluency is important for a number of reasons. It allows for better comprehension and understanding of the text being read. This is also sometimes referred to as comprehension instruction. When a reader is fluent, they are able to read smoothly and accurately, which means they can focus on the meaning of the text rather than decoding of the words. Improving fluency skills is also important for vocabulary acquisition, as it allows readers to encounter and process more words in a shorter amount of time as they become more fluent.

Research has shown reading fluency has been positively correlated with academic success. Children who are more fluent readers tend to perform better in school and have an easier time learning new information. But along with an ease of learning, fluency has the potential to develop a love of reading as well-because at the heart of education, we don't just want students to simply understand what they are reading. We want them to care about what they are learning as well. Strong reading fluency has the ability to join academic success with an adoration of reading.

Ten Reading Fluency Activities

Obviously one of the best ways to increase reading fluency skills is simply to read. But there are a number of different ways to make the simple task of reading more fun and engaging for young learners. Many of these activities are not meant to be done exclusively, but instead in combination with each other. Incorporating a variety of activities will allow learners to experience different aspects of each activity they may not get from doing just one routine assignment.

Repeated Reading

Repeated reading is a strategy that involves reading the same passage multiple times with the goal of increasing fluency and reading comprehension. The idea behind this activity is that with each reading, the student will continually become more familiar with the text.

Quite often, we miss things on a first read through that we pick up later-even adults. Therefore, repeated reading is good practice for everyone. This activity can lead to improved fluency, accuracy, and understanding of a given text. It can also help with vocabulary acquisition and retention.

One tip for repeated reading is to focus on a different aspect of the text. For example, on the first reading, students can focus on the meaning or plot of the text. On the second reading, they can focus on the structure or the author's choices. And on the third reading, they can focus on the vocabulary. With each reading, students will become more fluent as they add each focus to their repertoire.

Sentence Pyramids

This activity involves building a pyramid of sentences by starting with a short, simple sentence and adding more complex elements to it with the goal of helping readers understand the structure and meaning of a sentence.

Some of the benefits of using this activity include improved understanding of sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary. As sentence pyramids build upon each other, readers see how different parts of speech work together to create meaning.

One tip for sentence pyramids is to have the teacher or students write the initial sentence at the top of a page or a board and then work their way down as the sentence begins to grow and expand. You should then be able to draw an actual triangle around the completed assignment to give students a visual of how sentences can grow and expand.

Partner Reading

Partner reading involves having two people read a text together, usually with one person reading aloud and the other person listening and providing feedback. This allows students to practice basic skills such as identifying sight words and decoding, but it can also help to improve pronunciation and intonation for the reader. The listener in this activity will also develop listening skills and critical thinking skills as they provide feedback.

As students take turns reading and listening in partner reading, a private yet supportive setting is created, where both reading comprehension and reading confidence can grow. More student-centered approaches like partner reading or dialogic reading allow students to take more active roles in their learning.

One tip for partner reading is to encourage partners to offer a "glow" and a "grow." A "glow" is something their partner did really well during the reading, and a "grow" is a suggestion for improvement.

Stop the Pointing

Sometimes students will point at each word they are reading when they learn. While this may help at first, it can eventually hinder students from reading seamlessly and fluently. Pointing at the words as they are reading them can cause a student's reading to sound like a choppy robot voice rather than smooth.

Instead of having students point at every word as it is being read, have students only point at unknown words. This can help develop vocabulary skills by only slowing students down on new words that may need a little more thought rather than pausing on every word.

Reading Contests

Learners always seem to be motivated by competition, and reading can involve a spirit of competitiveness. Set up a reading contest that encourages students to read a certain number of books or pages-or for a certain amount of time-and then reward them for their efforts.

The reading contest goals should be set up against themselves, not against each other. By having students compete against themselves, teachers are letting each student practice goal setting based on their own reading abilities and interests. Teachers can even place students in small groups with similar interests and independent levels as a way of creating a support system of peers who can encourage students in their reading goals.

Scooping Phrases

Scooping phrases involves breaking a sentence into smaller chunks or phrases and reading them one at a time instead of reading the entire sentence all at once. This allows students to focus on the meaning of individual parts of a sentence, which can be more approachable for students at a younger reading level.

This activity is especially beneficial for students who are only reading and pronouncing one word at a time in a sentence with a big pause in between each word. Moving from reading each individual word to reading whole phrases is an important step many students struggle with at first.

One tip for how to implement this activity is to use phrase cards, similar to how one would use flashcards to learn individual words. Write some common phrases on the cards with a long curved line underneath the whole phrase. Have students read each word and then trace the line with their finger as they reread the whole phrase smoothly.

Echo Read

Echo reading involves reading a sentence or passage out loud and then having someone repeat it, imitating their intonation and inflection. This is often done first with a teacher modeling how to read a text fluently before students practice echoing the teacher's fluency and expression. Students can also echo read with a peer and take turns reading a book together.

Echo reading promotes fluency in a guided way that eventually fosters fluency during independent reading as well. When students see how words can come to life through proper expression and pronunciation, the meaning of the words becomes more powerful.

Reading Aloud

Reading aloud is one of the most traditional forms of learning how to read, creating a more accurate reader of each student. Even as education has transformed with advancements in research and technology, the timeless act of reading out loud has always been a beneficial activity. One thing to remember with the read aloud is it will grow and evolve with each varying grade level. At a younger age, students need to hear the teacher reading aloud often as a model for fluency. However in older grades, students take a more active role in practicing their fluency by reading aloud. For example, fluency for fourth and fifth grades may involve more interactive activities, like a reader's theater.

Timed Reading

One element of fluency is the speed at which a student can read. Timed reading is an activity helpful for measuring the speed and accuracy of a student. A passage with more high-frequency words may be read more quickly, but reading passages with new vocabulary and complex syntax may cause students to read more slowly.

One tip for timed reading activities is to record a student's oral reading of a book or passage. Set a timer, hit record, and see how much the student is able to get through in the given time. Then, both students and teachers can use the recording to evaluate their performance. Another tip is to use a short amount of time, such as one to two minutes. With practice, students will be able to increase their words per minute over time.

Audio Books

Audio books are a great resource when it comes to utilizing technology to support teaching fluency. Often, especially at a younger age, reading involves much more than just the eyes. Students may need to read with their eyes as they look at the words, their fingers as they trace the words across the page, and their ears as they hear a text being read out loud to them.

Audio books are especially beneficial for students who may have a learning disability like dyslexia. When a teacher cannot read every text out loud to each student, audio books allow for differentiation and assistance. As students hear the sounds and rhythms of spoken language, they improve their own reading skills. Just make sure students are still following along with a printed version of the text if possible rather than use audio books in isolation.

Final Thoughts

Time spent frequently reading is the best way to achieve fluency, and there are a myriad of different activities that can make words on a page come to life for all types of learners. The key to fluency really is repetition of reading, and with so many different options and activities, students can become stronger readers while also having fun. Fluency is one of the key elements of reading that we focus on at Voyager Sopris Learning ®, and we strive to assist educators by offering tools and resources to support their reading instruction.

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Reading Activities That Will Increase Fluency

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Fluency is the ability to speak or read a language with ease and accuracy, and it is an essential component of language proficiency. When students aren't fluent they not only speak in fragments but also have difficulty understanding what is being said.

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Practice reading activities at home to build fluency.

The more your child reads the stronger their stamina will be.

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Fluency Therapy Home Practice (for Stuttering)

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This is a packet of materials for home practice! This packet is designed for students who stutter. There are 9 activities in a choice board format. Your student can choose one activity per day and have a partner sign off at the end of the week. There is a rating scale to track how the student feels about their speech

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Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with expression.Fluent reading builds stamina for reading lengthy or complex texts. Reading fluency serves as a bridge between word recognition and comprehension.

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9 Reading comprehension games and activities for students

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Dive in to our 9 creative comprehension games and activities that will make practicing reading skills a blast for your students.

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Just 15 minutes each day makes a big difference! Reading aloud is a great way to help your kindergartener absorb new words and see how stories are structured. It's also one of the best ways to help children learn about the world and make connections between their own lives and what's in the book - that helps children see the world with empathy. And last but not least, it's a wonderful time to snuggle up with your child and share the experience of reading and discovery together.

Remember that reading together should spark curiosity, joy, and a desire to explore and learn. Conversations about books should be enjoyable, and not a set of quizzes and questions. As you try some of the activities listed below, remember to keep it light and lively for your child.

There are so many great nonfiction and informational books for very young kids (such as the popular DK Eyewitness series and National Geographic series). Try to include some of these during your next trip to the public library. Children love learning about the real world and are proud to share what they know!

Even a walk around the neighborhood or a trip to the grocery store can be a rich learning experience for young children. A child may see an urban bunny for the first time on a walk, and then be able to connect it to stories about rabbits. These personal connections help children connect what they read with what they know - a powerful way to build comprehension skills!

Try these comprehension activities at home

"I predict ..."

When you sit down for a read aloud, look at the book's cover together. Ask, "What do you think this book might be about? Why? Can you make some predictions?" Guide your child through the pages, discuss the pictures, and brainstorm what might happen in the story. Talk about any personal experiences your child may have that relate to the story.

Five-finger retell

After reading a story together, have your child tell you five things about the story, using her fingers to talk about each one:

1. Characters: who was in the story?

2. Setting: where did the story take place?

3. Events: what happened in the story?

4. End: how did the story end?

5. Favorite character or part of the story

Active reading

Model active reading when you read with your child. Talk about what's happening as you're reading. Stop and discuss any interesting or tricky vocabulary words. Help your child make pictures of the story in his mind. Ask your child, "What just happened here? How do you think that character feels? Have you ever felt like that? What do you think will happen next?" Not only will this develop your child's comprehension, but critical thinking skills as well.

Mind movies

When you come to a descriptive passage in a book, have your child close her eyes and create a mental movie of the scene. Encourage her to use all five senses. Read the passage over together, looking for details that bring the scene to life. Ask questions like, "How do you know it was a hot day? Which words help you understand that the child was lonely?"

Tell me about it

After a read aloud, one of the best and easiest ways to check for understanding is to ask your child to summarize what the book was about in their own words. You can ask a question or two to help your child clarify her thinking or to add more detail.

Think alouds

Connect the book to your child's own life experience. For example, A River Dream: "This book reminds me of the time my father took me fishing. Do you remember the time we went fishing?"

Connect the book to other books they have read. For example, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: "This story reminds me of Cinderella. Both stories are about sisters. Do you know any other stories about nice and mean sisters? Let's keep reading to find out other ways the stories are similar."

Connect the book to big ideas/lessons. For example, Stellaluna: "This story helps me understand that we are all the same in many ways, but it's our differences that make us special."

Wordless

Wordless picture books provide your child with practice using clues to create meaning. There are no wrong stories with wordless picture books, only variations based on what the "reader" sees and puts together. Rosie's Walk, Good Dog, Carl, and Beaver Is Lost are all interesting and fun wordless picture books to explore. Find more wordless books on BookFinder.

Family stories

This is a wonderful activity for a family picnic or for a rainy day when you're snuggled together on the couch. Share a favorite story about your childhood or a family story that's been passed down from generation to generation. Use vivid language and details about people, places, and things. Funny or scary will really get your child's attention! Your child will probably have lots of questions, which keeps the storytelling alive. You could also ask your child if she has a favorite family story of her own.

Map this book!

Draw a map of the book's setting, and be sure to include the places where the main action happens!

Beginning-middle-end

This is a great way to see if your child understands the main parts of a story. After reading a book together, give your child three sheets of paper, with "beginning" on one sheet, "middle" on the second sheet, and "end" on the third sheet. Ask your child to think about the three parts of the story, and then draw what happened on each on the sheets. Arrange the sheets in order, left to right. What happens if you re-arrange the sheets? Does the story still make sense?

Words, words, words

Be sure to include books with rich vocabulary in your read alouds and call attention to interesting words and phrases from the story. This may include repeated phrases or idioms (such as "get cold feet" or "I'm all ears"). Offer a kid-friendly definition and connect the new word or phrase to something your child already knows.Talk about how the author used language or words to make the text interesting, informative, funny, or sad.

Picture walk

Talk about the book before you read it. Show the cover illustration and ask your child to predict what the book is about. Flip through the book, look closely at the pictures together, and talk about what's on the jacket flaps.

Remember when ...?

Connect what your child reads with what happens in life. If reading a book about birds, relate it to birds you've seen on walks in your neighborhood.

Story detectives

As you read with your child, stop and ask questions such as: What's happening in the picture? Why do you think the puppy is sad? Have you felt that way yourself? Why do you think the spider wanted to help the pig? What do you think is going to happen next? How do you think the story will end? Take turns and let your child to "be the detective" and ask you questions about the book. Not only will this develop your child's comprehension, but critical thinking skills as well.

Picture the character (Part 1)

Try this activity from the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR). The FCRR "At Home" series was developed especially for families! Watch the video and then download the activity: Picture the Character . See all FCRR comprehension activities here .

Picture the character (Part 2)

Try this activity from the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR). The FCRR "At Home" series was developed especially for families! Watch the video and then download the activity: Picture the Character . See all FCRR comprehension activities here .

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Kindergartners are just beginning their journey as readers, yet they are actively absorbing language and experiences to make sense of the world around them. Encourage your child to think and talk about shared oral stories and books that are read aloud.

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Practice building reading comprehension with several activities.

Ask your child questions to test their understanding.

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10 Fun Reading Comprehension Activities to Try at Home

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Wondering how to improve reading comprehension for kids? Try these effective and fun reading comprehension activities!

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Popular titles and characters that children know and love

Guided Reading and Lexile® levels available for 1,000+ books

Accessible on computers, tablets, and smartphones

All titles carefully curated for readers 12 and under

Book recommendations for every child based on his or her level

Up to 3 children per account

Ability to monitor your child's progress

Ability to preview the content your child is exploring

More than 1,500 professionally voiced titles

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From Reading Experts:

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Source: Adams, M. J. (2006). The promise of automatic speech recognition for fostering literacy growth in children and adults. In M.C. McKenna, L.D. Labbo, R. D. Kieffer, & D. Reinking (Eds.), International Handbook of Literacy and Technology, Volume 2. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

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