Fun Phonics Training Activities

Follow that sound!

Scavenger hunts are great fun in print or in the classroom.
To reinforce the spelling of targeted sounds, set up a learning
centre with a stack of old magazines, scissors, glue, and sheets
of large construction paper. Invite children to look through the
magazines for words that begin with the spelling (or spellings)
for a particular sound. Have them cut out the words and glue
them to construction paper to make a colourful collage.
For a more kinesthetic activit, children can search the
classroom or school building to find ob!ects that contain their
assigned sound. For instance, if children are learning the cl
blend, the might find a clock, closet, clip, clothespin, and, of
course, classmates" Have children write the names of their
findings on inde# cards and post them on a phonics word wall.
Silly sentences
Studying initial sounds is perfect for tongue-twister fun!
$ncourage children to look and listen for e#amples of
alliteration as the read the phonics plas or tales. Then take
advantage of learning words with common sounds b
challenging children to make up their own sill alliterative
sentences % in other words, tongue twisters"
&rite words that begin with our target consonant, blend, or
digraph (for e#ample, pr) on separate inde# cards. Then place
the inde# cards in a table an have children work together to
arrange them into a sentence, adding words as needed for
sense. For e#ample' Pretty princesses proudly practice prancing
with pretzels on the prairie.

Swat a sound
This game, which lets you use regular classroom word wall,
reuires fast refle!es plus sound-spelling recognition!
(. )ivide the class into two teams and have the teams line up a short
distance from our word wall.
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*. +ive the first child in each line a fl swatter and have that child
step up to the wall. Then call out a sound to swat. Thats it! The
instruction can be as simple or as detailed as ou like, depending on
the target skills ou,re teaching. Here are some e#amples'
Swat a short a word; Swat a word that ends with the sound
/ch/; Swat a word that has the sound /st/ in the middle.
-. The first child to swat a correct word (there ma be more than
one) earns a point for his or her team. .ou can pla until each child
has had a turn, or as time permits.
"hat#s my sound
The mi! $n# mingle party game is sure to %eep children
guessing!
(. &rite target sounds on stick notes, one for each child. /se a
different sound0spelling on each card, for instance, dr, g, oo, th, and
so on. Then place a stick note on each child,s back, making sure
children cannot see their own sounds.
*. 1et children mill about the classroom, asking one another
2uestions to tr to figure out what sound0spelling is on their back.
The one rule is that children ma onl ask es or no 2uestions. For
e#ample, a child might ask' Does my sound help you say alloon! "r
is it the #irst letter in gorilla! $ut children may not ask %uestions such
as& 'hat words can you say with my sound!
-. $ncourage children to keep plaing even after the have guessed
their own sound. The can remain in the game to provide other
children with clues.
&a%e-a-word
"ith this game, children practice initial consonants, digraphs,
and 'lends, long and short vowels, and word-'uilding s%ills!
(. 3uild two cardboard cubes. 4n one cube, write target initial
consonants, digraphs, and blends such as s, p, , st, ch, tr. 4n the
other cube, write common word endings, featuring both long and
short vowels. Include endings that will form several words when
combined with the initial sounds ou chose, for e#ample' eat, ain,
oke, it, un, ack.
*. +ather children in a circle to pla the game. $ach plaer takes a
turn tossing the cubes like dice. If the plaer can form a word with
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the initial sound and word ending that the two cubes land on, the
plaer gets one point. If not, but another plaer can form a word,
that plaer earns the point. (5laers ma also challenge the
legitimac of a word6 children should have a dictionar nearb.)
-. 7hildren continue until a specified number of points is reached, or
as time permits.
(ropcloth Phonics
)se an old sheet or a shower curtain for lots of phonics fun!
/se a permanent marker to draw rows of large circles on our
cloth. Inside each circle, write the spelling for a target sound.
8epeat some of the same sounds that are spelled different
was. For instance, ou might use ai, ay, and a(e for the long a
sound6 ee, e)e , and ea for long e6 and y, igh, and i)e for long
i. .ou can also include consonants, blends, and digraphs. 5lace
the cloth on the floor in an open area, and ou have a giant
game board to pla two different phonics games"
For the first game, children will need a beanbag. Tape a line on
the floor a short distance awa from the game board (use
masking tapes). Then have children stand behind the line and
take turns tossing the beanbag onto the cloth. &hen their
beanbag lands on a spelling, ask children to sa the sound.
)epending on their skill level, ou can then have children name
a word that contains that sound and uses that spelling for an
e#tra point. 5la as long as time permits.
For the second game, be prepared for lots of laughter" /se the
multiple vowel spellings for a phonics version of Twister9" 7all
out instructions such as *ight hand on a long a! +e#t #oot on
long i! *ight #oot on long e! 7hildren must place the appropriate
bod part on an spellings that makes the named sound.
)oubtless, some children will collapse in giggles. The last child
on the mat who has both hands and feet on spellings of called0
out sounds should be ver proud % both phsicall and
phoneticall"
"e go together
Play this game when you need children to form groups or
anytime!
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(. 4n separate inde# cards, write words that have common target
sounds. 7hoose words that spell the sound differentl or have the
sound in a different position. For instance, if our target sound is long
a, ou might create a group of five cards with the words cake, hay,
tape, pain, and they. If our target sounds is :ch:, ou might create
cards with the words chip, each munch, chunk, and chew. 7reate
enough cards for each child to have one, making sure each child will
be part of a group. To create a checking sstem, colour code each set
of words b placing sticker dots on the back of the cards.
*. 5unch two holes in the top of each card and string with arn to
make a necklace. Then give each child a necklace to wear, words
facing out.
-. 1et children walk around looking at one another,s words, searching
for others with whom the have a sound in common. 8emind children
that in order to form a group, all members must have words that
contain the same target sound.
;. 4nce children have gathered into their groups, have them turn
their cards over to see if their stickers match.
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