Help students divide words into syllables with a physical activity. Ask students to stand up. Call out a word and repeat the word and jump in the air with each syllable. For example, students would jump once when they hear the word "car" and three times when they hear the word "hospital." Give students a chance to lead the class in the activity once they get the hang of it.
Show students how words are divided into syllables with a matching game. Make a list of two syllable words that students recognize. Divide each word into syllables, and write each syllable on a blank index card. Shuffle the cards and give a card to each student. Ask students to stand up one at a time and say the sound on their card. Encourage the class to find the student who has the card with the matching syllable that makes their word.
Explain to students that syllables contain one vowel sound. Show students how to divide a word into vowel sounds, and to check it by clapping their hands with each syllable. Ask students to form small groups, with an equal number of students in each group if possible. Write sets of five multisyllabic words on the board, one set for each group. Give each group of students one marker or piece of chalk to share. Ask students to go up one at a time and place a dash to divide a word into syllables and hand the marker over to the next student. The team that divides all the words in their set correctly first wins.
Create a syllable puzzle for students to practice syllables. Make a list of words that students do not know containing several syllables. Divide the words into syllables, and write each syllable on an index card. Gather separate plastic bags for each word and keep the index cards for each word together as you place them in the bags. Shake the bags so the syllables are out of order. Ask students to work in pairs to solve each word puzzle by attempting to place the cards in the bag in the correct order. Encourage students to sound out the syllables to find the correct order.