Segmenting sentences into individual words is an important first step to teach children. Have children clap to each word as you repeat a sentence, short sentence or a well known poem or rhyme, such as ‘Old Macdonald Had a Farm’ or ‘I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream’. Children should understand that spoken sentences are made up of selections of different words, before they learn that these words can be broken down into syllables and sounds.
When children improve in their comprehension of oral language by segmenting sentences into words, they can be taught how to segment words into syllables. Activities such as clapping or tapping the desk can be used to help children count the number of syllables in different words. Get children to clap or tap along with you as you say a variety of words. Begin with words with one syllable, then build up to longer words with more syllables. Have them break down their names into syllables. Explain to the children how knowing about syllables can help them with their reading and writing skills.
As children learn about syllables in words, they should also be aware that words are made up of different sounds. Draw out the first sound of different words, such as children’s names, to exaggerate and draw attention to the sound. Ask children how many sounds they can hear in certain words by reading aloud a sentence or rhyme slowly. Get them to break down and delete phonemes in different words using visual prompts such as blocks or cards or rhymes, for example, have them say “wall” without the "w". Use words made up of no more than three different sounds to begin with.
Segmenting games and activities help children to put their knowledge of segmenting words and sounds into practice. Rhyming games are fun ways to teach children how to put words together and hear the different sounds. Guessing games, such as “Odd one out”, “Sounds like” or “I spy” with sounds and syllables, provide useful support to teaching methods. Other activities include having children sort picture cards into groups according to how many sounds each has, or using a puppet to help demonstrate syllable segmentation.