The Preschooler

Go Bananas for Syllables!

As children learn to read, they can sometimes become overwhelmed when they are faced with longer words.  However, if they are able to break those big words into smaller parts, those giant obstacles can be tackled in tiny parts.  This is why teaching very young children about syllables is an important pre-reading skill.  Although they will learn several rules involving syllables once they enter elementary school, at this point in time it is more valuable for them to simply “play” with syllables.  Try the following activity.

Print out pictures of many different fruits and vegetables.  Cut each food into as many pieces as there are syllables in its name.  For example, a cucumber would be cut into 3 pieces.  Try to cut them into puzzles by using zig-zag or curvy lines with your scissors.  Write each syllable on the various pieces of the food with one syllable on each part in order from left to right, such as cu/cum/ber.  Your game is now ready to be played with your child.

Mix up the pieces of all of your foods and help your child put them back together.  As each food is recreated, read the syllables for your child.  At first, leave a large space in between each piece.  Say each syllable, and then slide the food pieces a little closer together.  Finally, put the food completely together and say the individual syllable and then the entire word.  As your child watches and listens to your actions, he will begin to put the puzzles together in the same fashion.  If your child has a tendency to rush through each food puzzle, encourage him to show you in slow motion (or put on your best acting face, pretend you don’t understand, and ask him to show you the word in pieces).  You can also play the game in reverse where your child takes a whole food and breaks it into syllables by separating the puzzle and saying each piece.

This game can be played again and again.  It is also a great review once your child enters elementary school and is learning the rules for separating syllables.  For now, your child will gain valuable experience and confidence as they learn about how to break those large, intimidating words into small pieces.

Read MoreNo Comments

Digg Delicious Favorites Blogmarks Magnolia Google Newsvine Reddit Technorati

Written by BRWI Staff on September 9, 2009