Literacy Activities

These activities help students improve their oral language and phonemic skills by encouraging them to listen carefully, pronounce sounds clearly, and practice using words in fun and interactive ways. You can find these activities and more on https://www.readingrockets.org/

"I Spy” Blending

Directions:

• While out on a walk or in the car, play a game by saying, "I spy something that sounds like s-t-o-p." Your child then blends the individual sounds together to guess the word ("stop").
• Start with simple words and gradually increase the difficulty as your child gets more comfortable with blending.

Benefits:

This activity helps children practice blending sounds together to form words, which is essential for reading. It encourages them to focus on the sounds rather than the letters, improving their phonemic awareness.

B.E.S.T. Standard: ELA.1.F.1.2 – This standard involves segmenting and blending phonemes in spoken words.

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Jump, Skip, Hop!

Materials:

• Simple picture cards (you can make these yourself or cut them out of magazines)
• Open space to move

Directions:

• Show your child a picture and ask them to say the word.
• For each sound in the word (e.g., "cat" = /k/ /a/ /t/), have them perform a physical action like a jump, skip, or hop.
• After completing the word, celebrate with a high-five! This can also be done outdoors by simply calling out words.

Benefits:
This fun and active game helps with phonemic awareness by helping children identify and break down sounds in words. It also incorporates movement, making learning more engaging.

B.E.S.T. Standard: ELA.1.F.1.2 – Encourages children to segment phonemes (smallest sounds in a word ex:
cat = /k/ /a/ /t/ ) in spoken words.

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Snail Talk

Directions:

• Tell your child that you’re going to play "Snail Talk," where you stretch out a word slowly by its sounds (e.g., /fffflllaaaag/ for "flag").
• Your child has to guess the word you're saying.
• After a few rounds, switch roles so your child can stretch out words for you to guess.

Benefits:
This activity encourages children to listen carefully to sounds and understand how words are made up of individual phonemes. Stretching the sounds helps reinforce their understanding of sound blending.

B.E.S.T. Standard: ELA.1.F.1.2 – Focuses on blending phonemes in spoken words.

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First Sounds

Materials:

• A picture book

Directions:
While reading with your child, pick a word from the book and emphasize the first sound (e.g., "ssssun"). Find another word with a different beginning sound (e.g., "mmmmoon"). Ask your child t

Benefits:
This activity develops children’s ability to recognize initial sounds in words, which is a key component of phonemic awareness. It helps them differentiate between sounds and improves their listening skills.

B.E.S.T. Standard: ELA.1.F.1.2 – Supports the identification and manipulation of initial sounds in spoken words.

Source for all activities:

Reading Rockets. (2024). Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for Your First Grader | Reading Rockets. Www.readingrockets.org. https://www.readingrockets.org/literacy-home/reading-101-guide-parents/your-first-grader/phonological-and-phonemic-awareness