THE FLOOR: Phonemic Awareness Games to Play

Index of Games

There are so many different ways to be smart. But to do well in school, children need to learn to be smart listeners.

After more than 30 years of research sponsored around the country by the National Institutes of Health, we know that there is a set of listening skills, Phonemic Awareness, that predicts who will be successful in learning to read!

Children who have these skills do well in reading.

Children who lack these skills, struggle or fail.

The researchers found that all children benefit from practice in these important skills.

PARENTS: You can help by playing 'sound games' with your child!

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• The easiest games are at the top of each list. Be sure to begin with games that are easy for your child.
• Advance gradually down the lists. Depend upon successful play to build skill--you don't have to push.
• You don’t need to finish all the variations of one game before adding another--as long as your child is succeeding with the games you are playing.
• Keep it fun!

Games to Go are for beginners or better. Play them at spare moments: in the car, waiting in line, fixing dinner. (If you play in the car, be sure to choose your game at home--and keep your eyes on the road while driving.)

Block Challenges are generally more advanced. Children use colored blocks to represent speech sounds. One-inch cubes are perfect. You will need four or five colors, with three or four blocks of each color. Play these games at the table or on the floor.

Games to Go	Block Challenges
Pre PA Games	Basic Training for Blocks
Silly Mistakes	What's New: First or Last
Make a Rhyme	What Changed: First or Last
PA Games	Two-Sound List 1
Clap Syllable 'Beats'	Two-Sound List 2
Blend Sounds Together *	Two-Sound List 3
Easy Blend List	Two-Sound List 4
Match First Sounds	Two-Sound List 5 Short i, Short e
Blend Words & Tap Them Apart Again **	Two-Sound List 6
Easy Blend List	What Changed? One- to Three-Sound Patterns

*Once students can 'Blend' the easiest words, they are ready to begin Ease Into Phonics, if desired.

**Once students can 'Blend & Tap' the easiest words, they are ready to begin a Phonics program.

More on this topic: The Reading Treehouse -> THE FLOOR: Phonemic Awareness

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