8 Fun Ways to Teach Your Child Phonics

There is constant debate over how to teach children to read. Some experts say that learning sight words supersedes phonics, while others argue that true reading comes from learning phonics because learning sight words is simply rote memorization. I am of the opinion that you need to teach and learn both. There are many words that do not follow traditional phonetic patterns, and they do need to be memorized. I wrote a post on fun ways to teach your child sight words. Then there are many words that do follow a phonetic pattern, and once you learn how letters and blends sound, it will be easier to learn new words that come up while reading. Teaching phonics beginning with learning the sound that each letter makes. Once your child learns the alphabet, teach them the sounds that each letter makes. You can use all the activities listed here to teach both letter recognition and letter sounds. Once the know each letter sound you can introduce them to CVC (consonant vowel consonant) words. These are words like, hat, bat, run, and fun. The activities below work great with CVC words as well as words with blends and various word families. Enjoy 8 fun ways to teach your child phonics.  

1. Legos/Mega Blocks or similar toy Materials: Legos or Mega Blocks, Sharpie Directions: Write one letter on the single block. Write word ending on the longer block. Have your child sound out each letter as he or she moves the smaller block across the longer block.

 


2.Coffee Filters Materials: Coffee filters, colored markers, eye dropper or spray bottle Directions: Write a group of words that belong to a word family on a coffee filter. Use a different color for each word. Have your child read and sound out each word as they spray or drop water on the coffee filter.
 

3.Plastic Cups Materials: Two plastic cups, marker or stickers. Directions: Write one letter on one cup and the end of a word on the other cup. Have your child twist the cups to make new words and sound them out as they read.  

4.O Shaped Cereal Materials: O shaped cereal, worksheet. Directions: Print out a worksheet like this one with words that have a double o. Have your child place the O shaped cereal over the letters and sound out words with a double oo. 

 

5. Clothes Pins Materials: Clothes Pins, paper plate Directions: Write a letter on a clothes pin. Write word ending on a paper plate. Have your child move the clothes pin across the paper plate to sound out each word.

 

 6. Refrigerator Magnets Materials: Refrigerator magnets Directions: In the morning before breakfast set up incomplete CVC words, like ox and at to the right and place a few consonant letters to the right. Have you child match the letters on the left to the ending sounds on the right and read the words as they sound it out. 

 

7. Upcycled Medela Breastmilk Labeling Lids Materials: Medela Breastmilk Labeling Lids, Bottle, Sharpie Directions: On the outer part of the lid, write the ending of a word, ie) -an, -at, -un, -ar. Then on the inner part of the lid, write begging letters like p, t, c, or r. Rotate the lid and have your child sound out each CVC word.
   


8. Paper Bag Peek a Boo Materials: Paper bag, marker or letter stickers. Directions: Using a paper bag, write a word or a blend, on the part of the bag near the fold. On the inside of the bag complete the word. Have your child make the beginning sound then open the bag to reveal the rest of the word.
 

Have you ever tired to teach you child using phonics? What methods did you use? What activities would you add to this list? Share in the comments below