A comic-book cooking game where third grade kids read each order and pour the prefix pre, dis or mis into the pot to cook up words like preheat, dislike and misspell. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
A retro arcade game where 4th grade kids read each clue and tap the critter holding the matching word, using Greek and Latin roots like tele, scope, port and graph. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
This phonological awareness worksheet helps Kindergarten students listen for each sound in a word and color one box per sound they hear. Includes a complete answer key for easy, no-prep practice of early phonics and phoneme skills.
The Circle Hard Soft C Words Worksheet gives 2nd graders ten words to read and sort by the hard /k/ or soft /s/ sound of the letter C. Answer key included — perfect for quick, no-prep phonics practice.
The Circle Hard Soft G Words Worksheet helps 2nd graders say each word and mark the hard G /g/ or soft G /j/ sound. Includes an answer key for fast, no-prep phonics practice.
Using 44 Sounds of the English Language Video Lesson, students sing and learn consonant sounds, vowel sounds, and vocabulary words for all 44 phonics sounds.
This short vowel a word sort activity gives kindergarten and 1st grade readers 24 word cards to sort into the at, an, ap and ag families, plus a sort mat and practice page. Answer key included.
This Phonemes Worksheet gives 1st graders hands-on practice segmenting short words into their individual sounds, with picture cues and worked blend examples. Includes an answer key to build the phonemic awareness that powers reading and spelling.
This Hard Soft G Worksheet - Pictures asks 2nd graders to say six picture names and bubble in whether the letter g sounds hard or soft. Answer key included for fast, no-prep phonics practice.
This hard and soft c and g activity helps 1st to 3rd grade students sort words by the sound of c or g using a simple rule. A sound sort sheet, practice page and answer key are included.
Plant picture cards by sound in this short vowel garden activity for Kindergarten and 1st grade. Children sort pictures into a, e, i, o and u pots. Answer key included.
This short vowel e word sort activity gives kindergarten and 1st grade readers 24 word cards to sort into the et, ed, ell and est families, plus two sort mats and a practice page. Answer key included.
Using this Short and Long Vowel O Activity, students sort the short and long vowel O word cards.
Using this Short Vowel Sounds Activity, students sort the short vowel sound picture cards and place them under the matching vowel sound letter card.
Using this Short and Long Vowel A Activity, students sort the short and long vowel A word cards.
This vowel letter i activity has kindergarten to 2nd Grade children sort under-the-sea picture cards by the short i or long i sound. Sorting mat, practice page and answer key included.
This short and long vowel u activity has 1st and 2nd grade students read word cards and sort them by short u or long u with a silent e. Answer key included.
This short vowel i word sort activity gives kindergarten and 1st grade readers 24 word cards to sort into the it, ig, in and ip families, plus a sort mat and practice page. Answer key included.
This Short Vowel Word Family activity has kindergarten and 1st grade students sort snow globe word cards into -at, -en, -ig, -op and -ug families, with a practice page and answer key included.
Using this Silent Night Silent Letters Activity, students identify and decode silent letter patterns in order to build reading accuracy and fluency.
Every sound counts
Pronunciation work helps kids hear and say every sound in a word clearly. English has about 44 sounds made with just 26 letters, so kids learn that letters can make more than one sound: short and long vowels, hard and soft c and g, and teams like ch and sh. They break words into syllables and phonemes (c-a-t has 3 sounds), and later learn how prefixes and roots change a word. Clear pronunciation helps with reading, spelling and speaking with confidence.
Sounds are learned by listening, saying and playing with them.
Say a word slowly and have kids push a counter forward for each sound: s-u-n is three. Then change one sound: sun to fun. Hearing individual phonemes is the base for every other pronunciation skill.
Why it works: teaching letter sounds directly and in order is one of the best-supported findings in reading research (National Reading Panel, 2000).
Try it withPhonemes WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Play a video lesson that walks through the sounds of English and have kids echo each one. Watch mouths in a mirror: where does the tongue go for th? Seeing and feeling sounds helps kids say them clearly.
Why it works: a catchy, repeating tune gives the brain a hook to hang words on, so sung text is remembered better (Wallace, 1994).
Try it with44 Sounds of the English Language Video LessonSongsOpen it →Sort words like goat, gym, gum and giraffe. Kids say each one aloud and decide which sound they hear. Saying the words, not just reading them, is where the learning happens.
Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withCircle Hard Soft G Words WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Sound games that get kids talking and laughing.
ActivitiesSay each word aloud and sort it: short a like cat or long a like cake.
Open Short and Long Vowel A Activity →
ActivitiesClap, stomp or toss a snowball for every syllable you hear.
Open Syllable Snowballs Activity →
GamesAdd pre, dis or mis to a word and say how its meaning changes.
Open Prefixes Pre Dis Mis Game →Teacher favorites right now: Prefixes Pre Dis Mis Game, Greek and Latin Roots Game and Phonological Awareness Worksheet.
About 44, depending on the accent. They're made with 26 letters, which is why many letters make more than one sound.
Model the word clearly, have them repeat it slowly, then at normal speed. Avoid making them feel corrected; just say it back the right way.
Phonemic awareness is hearing and working with sounds in spoken words. Phonics connects those sounds to letters. Both support reading and pronunciation.
Some sounds, like r and th, can take until age 7 or 8 to master. If speech is hard to understand or you're concerned, ask your pediatrician or school about a speech evaluation.
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