4 Fun Activities to Help Students with Hearing and Counting Syllables

As a primary teacher, so much of our time is devoted to activities that support phonological awareness. One of the topics that always seemed to take a fair bit of time and attention to master in my room was understanding syllables. If I'm being honest, this can be a pretty tricky topic to teach! But don't worry friend, I've tried all sorts of teaching methods for this topic over the years and have found some clear winners. Keep reading to learn more about teaching students with hearing and counting syllables!

Teaching Students to Count Syllables

Teaching all about counting syllables starts in the early years with activities that use pictures and auditory exercises. As children grow older, this eventually expands to include printed words as they discover the magic of syllable division to help decode words. But how do we even begin teaching students to count syllables?

As I mentioned above, this topic can be a bit tricky for some kiddos. We've all had those kids that struggle to break words down into syllables and instead say the word as one, single sound over and over. It's important to remember that this process won't look the same for every student, so it's a good idea to offer multiple different options that will appear to a variety of learners. 

Methods for Counting Syllables

There are a few different ways you can help facilitate the process of hearing and counting syllables with your students. Here are the methods I used again and again in my room:

1. Clap it Out! - This is the most common way to identify syllables in a word. Students will listen to or say the word and clap it out. This will help students easily hear the number of syllables and count them as they listen. 
2. Table Tap - Tapping on the table or the palm of your hand is another way to illustrate the number of syllables in a word. Students will use their fingers to count out each syllable on their hand or the tabletop.
3. Chin Touch - Finally, for students who really struggle to hear those syllables, the chin touch might be most helpful! Have students place one hand under their chin. As they say the word and their mouth opens for each syllable, they will feel their chin touch the top of their hand to help them count the number of syllables in the word.

I liked to use all of these methods in my teaching to ensure that the students had exposure to many different tools for learning to count syllables. Everyone has a different learning style, so offering multiple ways of reaching the same goal is super helpful! 

Ready to see my favorite resources to use alongside these methods of teaching students to count syllables? Here are my four favorite teaching activities to facilitate this skill.

1. Counting Syllables Scoot 

Have you ever played Scoot in your classroom? If not, you're missing out on an amazing opportunity to take ordinary task cards and turn them into a fun-filled movement activity your students will LOVE! 

Scoot is played by arranging task cards around the room, typically one card on each desk or on the floor around the room's perimeter. Each child is armed with a recording sheet before beginning. You'll decide how much time you want to give students to solve the problem on the task card. As a rule of thumb, it should be challenging, but not so challenging that it's frustrating. 

When you're ready to begin, you start the timer and students will work on the card in front of them. When the timer goes off, you say "Scoot!" and each student moves to the next card. This continues until students have visited every card and filled out their recording sheets completely. 

In this Spring Counting Syllables Game, students will identify the picture on the card, say it aloud, and clap or tap out the syllables. Then, they find the corresponding number on their recording sheet and write their answer down in that space. 

Scoot is so much fun because it incorporates movement with your learning activities and makes everyone an active participant. It was always my go-to when students were restless or checked out to help rein them back in again. This game can be played as a center activity, too! Check out this bundle for themed games for the whole year. 

2. Counting Syllables Clip Cards 

Next up, this activity is great if you're looking for center games that facilitate the practice of counting syllables along with fine motor skills. These Counting Syllables Clip Cards are super simple to prep, and can be used again and again for practice! Simply print, cut, and laminate the cards for durability and provide students with a bin of clothespins. 

To play, they will say the picture name on the card and count the number of syllables they hear. Don't forget to encourage students to use the counting method that works best for them (clapping, tapping, or chin touch) as they work. This is especially helpful for our little learners who are just getting started with this skill! 

Once they count the syllables, they will use a clothespin to mark their answer choice. These cards come in both color and black and white so you can choose what works best for your printing needs. The black and white pages look great printed on colorful cardstock. You'll love having this simple, effective activity on hand for students to use as a morning activity, small group warm-up, or independent center activity! 

3. Counting Syllables Sorting Game 

If you're looking for a fun counting syllables game to play in your small groups, I know you'll love this next idea. 

This Counting Syllables Sorting Game is designed to help students who are just getting started with syllables and for those who have progressed to using the printed word as well. Because of this, there are two card options, one with words and one without. There are 78 cards to sort, 4 syllable categories, a recording sheet, and an answer key to allow for plenty of versatility. 

Kiddos will choose a card, say the word, count the syllables, sort their card into the correct category, and then mark it on their recording sheet. If you're playing in small groups, you can have children take turns with this and allow everyone to write down the correct answer on their page as each kiddo answers. This game can also be played as a partner game or independent center activity using a pocket chart to sort. No matter how you choose to use it, the variety of options and ways to play will make this one a sure winner among your group! 

4. Syllable Division 

This last resource is a bit more advanced, for use after your students get the basic idea of counting syllables. This game has students work on dividing words in print, which comes after they've worked on the auditory/verbal lessons to count syllables. This activity works really well for both demonstration and student practice! 

Inside this resource, you'll find 24 cards to model breaking down words. These cards are great for showing students the different types of words and how to break them down. I recommend laminating them and using a dry-eraser to write on them as you model this process. 

Also included are 68 picture/word task cards for student practice. They will follow the same process you use with the plain cards, but the pictures will help prompt young readers who aren't quite ready for the word-only option. There are also 10 corresponding worksheets for student practice. They will write each word out in broken-down syllables in the box. 

These activities are super versatile and great for students who are expanding with counting syllables and ready for a bit more of a challenge. I like to use the first 3 resources mentioned first and move on to this one when we're ready for diving words in print. 

Simplify Learning to Count Syllables

I hope these resources inspired you to try something new when it comes to teaching this topic. I know it can feel a bit overwhelming, but I promise it doesn't have to be hard! Once you find some fun, activities that incorporate hands-on learning, fine motor skills, and movement, your students will love working on counting syllables, too! You can find all of these resources in my TPT shop if you'd like to take a closer look! 

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