5 Quick, Easy, and Fun Phonemic Awareness Activities

Learning to read can be quite an overwhelming task for small children. In fact, if you think about it, it’s astounding that children are even capable of learning to read in such a short amount of time. However, before they begin to read print, they must have an adequate foundational understanding of how sounds in words work. That is where phonemic awareness comes into play. What is phonemic awareness? In easy-to-understand terms, phonemic awareness is the ability to identify, think about, and manipulate sounds in spoken speech. Listening The ability to listen closely is a key ingredient of phonemic awareness. The Listening Game. One of the first phonemic-awareness activities I do with my students, even as soon as the first day, is to bring their attention to noises. “Moo-Moo,” Where Are You? I love playing this game with my class. Rhyming Rhyming is such a great phonemic awareness activity! In My Box Syllables Bippity Boppity Bumble Bee This is such a fun game. Old MacDonald

Pre-K Fun Can You Hammer A Nail? (Sung to the tune of: "Do Your Ears Hang Low?") Can you hammer a nail? Can you saw a piece of wood? Are you handy with a wrench? In Tune With Tools (Sung to the tune of: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes") Help the children make up a motion that corresponds to each tool. Saw, hammer, tape measure, tape measure. Construction Vehicles The backhoe digs a big, big hole. Johnny's Hammers Verse One: (Make hammering motion with one fists) Johnny had one hammer, one hammer, one hammer Johnny had one hammer then he had Two Verse Two: (Make hammering motion with both fists) Johnny had two hammers, two hammers, two hammers, Johnny had two hammers then he had Three. Verse Three: (Make motion with both fists and one leg.) Verse Four: (Make motion with both fists and both legs) Johnny had four hammers, four hammers, four hammers, Johnny had four hammers then he had Five Verse Five: (Make motion with both fists and both legs and head.) Construction Worker Song Cement Mixer Chant

Finger Plays and Action Verses for Children See the leaves all falling down, To make a carpet on the ground, Swish, swish, wind blows by, Swish, swish, away they fly. Windshield wiper, windshield wiper, What do you do today? Slip-slap, slip-slap, I wipe the rain away. (Shape hands to make a ball) A little ball, A bigger ball, A great big ball I see. Now let us count The balls we've made, One, two, three. (Can be adapted to "Goldilocks") Choo, choo, choo, choo (rub palms together in circular motion to make a noise, slowly at first, gradually increasing speed) Too-too, too-too, too-too ........... Five little birds without any home, (raise 5 fingers of right hand) Five little trees in a row. Five little kittens (hand made into a fist) All black and white Sleeping very soundly All through the night. Meow, meow, meow, meow (each finger raised in turn to "Meow") It's time to get up now. Hear the engine puff, choo-choo-choo, Hear the whistle blow, toot-toot-too. Here is my book. Jack-in-the box Sits so still.

Educational creativity: Fingerplay Friday- Building Thanks Jean Warren, visit her for more building ideas SEE WHAT I BUILT TODAY! Tune: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”I’M A BUILDER Tune: “Frere Jacques” I’m a builder, I’m a builder Watch me pound, Hear my sound. Tap, a tap, a tap, tap. Tap, a tap, a tap, tap. Hear me pound, Hear me pound! I just love to hammer wood, Hammer wood, hammer wood. THIS IS THE WAY WE BUILD A HOUSE Tune: “Mulberry Bush” This is the way we build a house, Build a house, build a house. I'm in need of more building related poems or fingerplays.

This gives very simple, very fun phonemic awareness activities. The activities require very little material and also are very easy to set up and fun for students to participate in. great for very beginning learners. by ttribou Jul 24