Key Information
Focus
Appropriate Group Size
Why teach about syllables?
- Dividing words into parts, or “chunks” helps speed the process of decoding.
- Knowing the rules for syllable division can students read words more accurately and fluently.
- Understanding syllables can also help students learn to spell words correctly.
Drumming out syllables
Students use a drum or tambourine to take turns drumming out the syllables in their names or other words. (From the Balanced Literacy Diet: Putting Research into Practice in the Classroom)
Syllables: kindergarten
This video depicts a kindergarten small group engaging in a syllables activity. There are 5 students in this demonstration and they are using manipulatives. (From the What Works Clearinghouse practice guide: Foundational skills to support reading for understanding in kindergarten through 3rd grade.)
Collect resources
Marker activity
This activity, from our article How Now Brown Cow: Phoneme Awareness Activities, is an example of how to teach students to use a marker (i.e., token) to count syllables.
The marker activity often used for word counting can be adapted for use in counting syllables. Teachers can provide each child with tokens and two or three horizontally connected boxes drawn on a sheet of paper. The children place a token in each box from left to right as they hear each syllable in a word.
Multisyllabic manipulation
This example includes several activities and a chart of multisyllabic words. One specific activity from this page is the Multisyllabic Words Manipulation Game. Teachers can divide words from reading selections into syllables, write each syllable on a note card and display the syllables in jumbled order. Have students arrange the syllables to form the words.
Multisyllabic words manipulation ›
Clapping games
Associating syllables with a beat can help students to better learn the concept of syllables within words. Here’s a clapping game to help young learners understand about dividing words into syllables.
Using mirrors
The following link includes information on introductory activities such as using mirrors for teaching students about syllables. Information is also provided about the different syllable spelling patterns.
Using a mirror to understand syllables ›
Jumping syllables
This activity teaches student to separate words into syllables. Students move syllables around to create new “silly” words which gives them practice manipulating different sounds.
Find many more syllable activities developed by the Florida Center for Reading Research.
Differentiated instruction
For second language learners, students of varying reading skill, and younger learners
- Use pictures instead of words in activities for younger and lower level readers
- Include auditory and hands-on activities (i.e., clapping hands, tapping the desk, or marching in place to the syllables in children’s names)
- Include a writing activity for more advanced learners.
See the research that supports this strategy
Adams, M., Foorman, B., Lundberg, I., & Beeler, T. (2004). Phonemic Activities for the Preschool or Elementary Classroom.
Ellis, E. (1997). How Now Brown Cow: Phoneme Awareness Activities.
Moats, L. & Tolman, C. (2008). Six Syllable Types.
Children’s books to use with this strategy
Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems)
Dogku
