Your Child Will Learn
Count 1-3 syllables in words with help from adults.
Here’s What to Do
- With your child, choose 3 different movements you’ll do together. (For example, tapping your head, placing hands on your hips, touching your knees). Tell your child you’re going to do a different move to match each part of a word.
- Look around the room and pick an object whose word has 1-3 syllables. Slowly say each syllable while you do the moves you picked (for example: tap your head as you say the first syllable, place your hands on your hips for the second syllable, touch your knees for the third syllable).
- Repeat for the same word, but encourage your child to join in saying the syllables and doing the movements.
- Repeat with different 1-3 syllable words.
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE
- Together, stretch up to the sky and touch your toes.
ENGAGE
- “Let’s do… oven. I’ll do it first. Oven has two syllables, ov-en. Ov (place hands on head)… en (place hands on hips). Do it with me! Ov… en!”
- “Syllables are different parts of a word. Let’s do the syllables for ‘cup.’ ‘Cup’ has only one part, so we only need to do the first move.”
ENCOURAGE
- This is a tricky activity for people of all ages! Compliment your child when they get it right and provide support if mistakes are made.
- If your child is having difficulty hearing the different parts of the word, it can be helpful to say the word out loud and clap for each syllable.
REFLECT
- Does it seem like your child is beginning to understand how to hear syllables in words?
Not Quite Ready
Play a game where you change the beginning sounds of words (like pig, big, dig), and ask your child to repeat each new word.
Ready for More
Ask your child to determine the syllables in two-syllable words. Then do the moves to match.
As Your Child Masters This Skill
They will know how to count 1-3 syllables in a word with help from adults.
Time to Complete
5-7 minutes
Materials Needed
None