There are so many great activities for phoneme segmentation! Some of our young kiddos struggle with stretching out words. But what can you do to help those kids? Today, I am going to tell you about a few of my favorite activities to teach phoneme segmentation.
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What is Segmenting Words, Anyway?
Simply put, when we segment words, we say each sound (phoneme) in the word separately. For example, to segment the word ‘dog’, you would split it into its three phonemes, d-o-g.
Why Segmenting Sounds in Words is Important
Segmenting Sounds in words is a crucial task of early writers. To write words, children must first break the word into sounds. Students must say words S-L-O-W-L-Y to hear each sound in sequence. (Ok, I know some adults do this at times, too!) Segmenting helps students hear sounds in words, so each sound can be represented with written letters. Segmenting words into basic sounds makes spelling words so much easier for our kiddos! As a result, it is essential that activities for phoneme segmentation are used in the primary classroom!
How to Teach Phoneme Segmentation
Are you wondering how to teach phoneme segmentation? There are a variety of activities for phoneme segmentation that you can use in the classroom. It’s easier than you think! To teach this, your kiddos will need some kind of manipulative: coins, tokens, bingo chips, beads, playdough, or tape (more info below). Students will need one token to represent each sound in the word. For example, if a student was segmenting the word “sheep,” they would receive 3 tokens: Sh-ee-p. To begin, have your students say the targeted word S-L-O-W-L-Y. We call this “Turtle Talk” in my classroom. This part is SO IMPORTANT!!! They need to say it slowly to hear all of the sounds in the word. Start with words with two phonemes, then work your way up to words with 3, 4, or more phonemes.
Once students have mastered saying it slowly, they can practice with any number of activities for phoneme segmentation!
Phoneme Segmentation Games and Activities
Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes
Tell your students a word with 1-4 phonemes (sounds), like “top”. Have him stand up and touch his head shoulders, knees, and/or toes as he is saying the sounds in words. For example, the word “cat” would be /c/ (head), /a/ (shoulders), and /t/ (knees). Start with 2-phoneme words, such as “me”, then work up to 3 and 4 phoneme words. This is one of the activities for phoneme segmentation that gets the kids moving!
CVC Sliders
If you are looking for activities for Phoneme Segmentation for kids to use at home, then this one is for you! Create sliders using pony beads and pipe cleaners. Simply add three beads to a pipe cleaner and twist the ends of the pipe cleaner to close them (You can leave the pipe cleaners straight, or form it into a bracelet.) The students slide one bead for each phoneme in the word. After sliding all three beads and saying all three phonemes, they push the beads back and say the word. My kiddos love to take their sliders home and teach segmenting words to their parents, stuffed animals, pets, plants…. Anyone and everyone….. so that they get more practice with segmenting.
Smash the Sounds
Smash the sounds is a great phoneme segmentation activity for small groups. For this, you will need playdough. I think the party favor tubs are perfect for this! Each tub has just enough for a small group activity. Each student will need enough dough to make 3-4 small balls (one small ball for each sound in the word- 2 balls for words with two sounds, three balls for a word with three sounds, etc.). As students say each word slowly, have them “smash” each ball as they make the sound.
Sticky Sounds
This is another good activity to use in small groups. I make small tape rings with the sticky side out for each sound in the word. Then, as students segment the word, they tap the tape rings and “stick” to each sound in the word.
Elkonin Boxes
If someone asked me, “Kristen, which is your go-to out of all the activities for phoneme segmentation?” It would be Elkonin boxes! Elkonin Boxes are also known as Sound Boxes.
Here’s how they work:
- Pronounce a target word slowly, stretching it out by sound. (Teacher says the word, “frog,” for example.)
- Ask the child to repeat the word. (Student says, “Frog.”)
- The teacher draws or shows “boxes” or squares on a piece of paper, chalkboard, or dry erase board with one box for each syllable or phoneme. (The word “frog” has 4 sounds, f-r-o-g, so the teacher would draw, or show 4 boxes.) The boxes will provide a visual for each sound, NOT every letter in the word. If the word used was wish, for example, the teacher would draw or use three boxes, w-i-sh.
- Place one Bingo Chip under each box. Your child should say the word slowly as he/she pushes up a chip into a box for each sound in that word.
- As students begin to demonstrate an understanding of segmenting words with chips, consider having them push magnetic letters or letter tiles that represent each sound. This will help students make a connection between letters and sounds.
Tap Lights
This is one of the favorite activities for phoneme segmentation in my first-grade classroom! Using inexpensive tap lights is a great way to help children learn to say sounds in words. I love these because you can change the colors of the lights! Line up the lights and say a word. Have students say the sounds in the word as they touch the lights to turn them on. Repeat this process with the same word but have your child say the sounds while they turn off the night lights. (It’s always a good idea to teach students to work from left to right! Again, start with 2-phoneme words and build up to larger words as your students experience success).
There are so many activities for phoneme segmentation to implement into your classroom! These activities keep my first graders engaged in learning and they LOVE them! Pick one or two ideas to try with your students. Then mix it up a bit to keep it fun!
THE BEST ACTIVITIES FOR PHONEME SEGMENTATION
Did you know about my Activities for Phoneme Segmentation for CVC Words? Take the guesswork out of teaching Phoneme segmentation with these great activities! This set includes Sound Boxes, Slider Cards, and CVC Puzzles.
Just print and laminate these activities for phoneme segmentation! Use them during guided reading, as a literacy center, or with an intervention group, and watch your students’ ability to segment words go through the roof! Click HERE to get them!
With repetition and practice using these activities for phoneme segmentation, your students will have this mastered in no time!
If you’ve found this article useful, why not check out one of these:
Educational and Appealing Online Phonemic Awareness Games for EVERY Skill
Phonological Awareness: Instructional and Assessment Guidelines
Phonemic and Phonological Awareness: What is the Difference and Why Does It Matter?
The Wonderous World of the Decoding of Words
Interactive Read-Alouds…..What They Are, How To Use Them & Why They Are So Important!
Are you looking for some great online reading activities? Get them HERE!
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