In phonics, sounds of letters are called phonemes. Phonemes are the smallest units of sound used to make words. It is also the first step in learning how to read through phonics. But, phonics sounds can be tough for kids at first. They might be comfortable using plenty of words in daily speech, but they’re not used to breaking those words down into individual phonemes.
Fortunately, there are plenty of fun and playful ways to help kids build this new skill! Using games to teach phonemes is a great way to help children develop phonemic awareness. This, in turn, prepares them to read, write and spell.
To help your students learn phonemes (the sounds of letters), try this fun game, Fishing for Phonemes, alongside Professor Pup’s Phoneme Farm.
The objective in this game is not only to identity individual phonics sounds, but to be able to tell one apart from the other.
Practice Phonics Sounds with Fishing for Phonemes
In this activity, children will use “fishing poles” to fish for phonemes in a “pond.”
For this activity, you will need:
- A desk or table
- Our Phoneme Picture Cards, available in our Teacher Portal
- Blue paper or cloth (enough to cover the desk or table)
- Several rulers or sticks
- Several magnets
- String
- Phoneme picture cards
Step 1: Set up your “lake.”
First, cover the desk with a long cut of blue paper or cloth to make it look like a pond or lake.
Step 2: Print your Phoneme Picture Cards.
Log into your Teacher Portal and head to “Supplemental Materials.” Print all the Phoneme Picture Cards and cut them out. If you want them to last awhile, be sure to laminate!
Step 3: Select the Phoneme Picture Cards for your target phoneme.
Select the cards that will help students practice the target phoneme for the day. For example, if you are teaching the phoneme /m/, you might have picture cards of a mouse, mountain, map, moon, mop and/or mail. Be sure to mix in some picture cards that do not start with the target phoneme. Attach a paper clip to each picture card and position them on the table.
Step 4: Create fishing poles.
Now it’s time to create “fishing poles.” To do this, find yourself a ruler or a stick. Then, tie a string onto one end and attach a magnet at the other end of the string. Build a handful of fishing poles for several students to use at once.
Step 5: Start the activity!
Tell your students that “we will be fishing for words that start with the /m/ sound.” Remember to pronounce the /m/ sound rather than saying the letter “m.”
Gather two to three students at a time around the water table and have them “fish” for picture cards that start with the /m/ sound. They will need to avoid the cards that do not start with the /m/ sound.
This activity should challenge students just enough to start discriminating between phonics sounds. For example, if a student is unsure about his or her catch, reinforce the correct decision by saying, “Yes, I see that you’ve caught a mouse. I hear the /m/ sound at the start of mouse.” If a student chooses an incorrect card, be sure to remind them of the /m/ sound, and encourage them to try again!
This activity can be altered depending on what phoneme you’re teaching. It also works for medial and ending phonemes. As always, just be sure to make it very clear exactly what the learning objective is so that students can follow along.
Practice Phonics Sounds with Professor Pup’s Phoneme Farm
There are so many different sounds of letters that children can often feel confused. Effective phonics instruction removes that stress – because it guides kids through one sound (phoneme) at a time. When kids experience a truly comprehensive phonics curriculum, they feel prepared and confident – never overwhelmed.
This is why kids learn so quickly with Professor Pup’s Academy. Each program starts with the simplest and smallest bits, then builds upon those skills. Every step of Professor Pup’s Phoneme Farm walks kids through a new phonics sound, or phoneme. As kids build their phonemic awareness, our games offer a great way to reinforce each child’s learning! Try out Fishing for Phonemes in the classroom, and be sure to let us know how it goes in our Teacher Forum!