Sound Blending Game

Sound Blending Game
Language - Language Foundation
Level	Primary
Age	2.5
Prerequisites	none
Materials	a collection of objects on a mat or objects around the room

The purpose of this activity is to teach children to blend together individual sounds (phonemes) into words.

Presentations

Note: Do not use the letter names for these games. Use the sounds of the letters.
These can be done with one or several children. It is a good choice for Circle Time.

With Objects or Pictures

1. Have 3 to 5 objects (or pictures) on a table or mat. The objects should have only 2 or 3 sounds in their names.

   

2. Show the children the objects. Be sure that they know the names of each.
   If they don't know the name of one of the objects, tell them its name, but say that you'll put it aside for next time.
3. Say, "I'm thinking of one of these things. I'll say the sounds in its name, and you tell me which one it is."
4. Say the sounds (phonemes) in the name of one of the objects. Pause only slightly between each sound:
   "/sh/ /i/ /p/"

   

5. If none of the children pick the correct object, then tell them the name of the thing you were thinking of, and try a different one.
   Repeat the ones that were missed after. They will get the idea of the game after a few tries.

With Objects in a Category

This version is done with unseen objects that a person is thinking of.

• "I'm thinking of an animal..."
• "I'm thinking of a food..."
• "I'm thinking of something in the classroom..."
• "I'm thinking of a body part..."
• "I'm thinking of a piece of clothing..."

With Children's Names

This could be done as a way to dismiss the first few students from Circle Time.

• "I'm thinking of someone whose name has the sounds /ai/ /d/ /e/ /n/."

Control of Error

This activity does not have any built-in control of error, it must be done with an adult or an older child.

Variations and Extensions

Extensions

• Pause longer between each sound
• Use words with four or more sounds
• Online version at Phonics and Stuff

Material

Classroom
The small objects that can be used in this activity are also used in other language activities. Some teacher choose to have a large collection of these and then swap them out from time to time.
See the page on Miniature Objects for more information on putting together a collection of objects for this activity.

Homeschool
In a homeschool environment you can often get by with just gathering up items from around the house and skip the collection of miniature objects altogether (spoon, pot, phone, can, pen, coat, hat, shirt, etc.).

Make Your Own

See the Make Your Own section of the Miniature Objects page for information on how to make these objects.

Further Reading

• Reading Reflex by Carmen McGuinness & Geoffrey McGuinness, page 66
• The Phonics Handbook by Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham, page 15
• Letters and Sounds by the UK Department for Education and Skills, page 42-43