Guest post by Margot Edwards
Teaching a child to understand the
underlying structure of spoken language is a key component in the child’s
development of phonemic
awareness, a crucial skill for children who are learning to read.
It can be difficult, however, to explain
the concept of syllables to a preschooler. Even small children are intimately
familiar with the meaning of
language. Sentences and words have meaning. But a syllable may have a meaning
of its own (such as run- in running),
or it may not (the al- in alligator). If a syllable has no
independent meaning, many children simply don’t notice it as a unit of speech
apart from the meaning of the whole word.
I recommend easing children into this
tricky concept with a series of compound
word activities. Compound words are multi-syllable words that are made up
of smaller words, such as snowball, dollhouse, and horseshoe. Because each syllable of a two-syllable compound word is
a word on its own, children are better able to notice the syllables and to
understand what you mean when you talk about dividing a word into parts.
Recent research has shown us that synthesis
(blending separate syllables into words) is easier for children than analysis
(dividing words into syllables). So start with two synthesis activities. In the
first, Making
Compound Words, say two one-syllable words for the child (such as pop and corn), with a big pause in between, and the child will combine them
to make a compound word. In a follow-up activity, Making
A Longer Word, you give the child the two parts of a three-syllable
compound word (e.g., blue and berry), to combine into a longer word.
Analysis
of compound words is a more difficult skill, so I’ve created a series of
six activities to teach the concept bit by bit. In Part 1, the child must
identify the first part of a compound word (“Say fishbowl but don’t say bowl”),
using a picture card as a visual clue. On the card are four pictures, one of
which is the correct answer.
Part 3 requires the child to pick out the
second syllable (“Say rainbow without
rain…what’s the last word in rainbow?”), with picture cards as clues.
Part 4 is the same but with no picture cards.
In Part 5, give the child a mix of words.
Sometimes you will have him tell you the first part of the word, and sometimes
the second part. This is a big challenge for his memory and listening skills,
but we provide picture cards to help him. In the sixth and final activity, the
child must identify either the first or last syllable of a compound word, with
no picture clues.
Start with the first of these activities,
play it with the child for 10-15 minutes a day until he’s mastered it, then
move on to the next activity. Before you know it, the child will be ready to
dive into learning about syllables.
Margo
Edwards is the Director of Content Development at SightWords.com, a website
dedicated to the promotion of child literacy through a variety of free online
resources. SightWords.com is proud to be sponsored by the Georgia Preschool
Association.
