Interactive online or software based phonics programs are excellent for utilizing educational center time. Students can wear headphones so others are not distracted while they explore the sound based activities on a computer. Even schools on a tight budget can offer technological learning activities by taking advantage of free educational websites. Skill building activities typically include beginning sounds, blending sounds, rhyming words and Dolch sight words.
Phonics worksheets and flash cards can both introduce and reinforce phonics awareness. Flash cards can be used as a challenge game in which students race against either each other or a timer to recognize the blends or words correctly. Teachers can use a chart allowing students to record their progress with stickers when they answer each set of cards correctly. Phonics worksheet and printable booklets often feature pictures to color to match to the correct phonics blend or rhyming word. Students can cut out the images on phonics worksheets and staple them to yarn to make a phonics wall hanging as a reference guide.
Get students out of their desks for a fun phonics games of "Sparkle" as a end-of-week treat. Gather students in a circle and call out a spelling or Dolch word for them to spell. One student says the first letter and so on around the circle until the last letter is spoken. The student standing next to the child who spoke the final letter shouts "Sparkle" noting the end of the word and that it was spelled correctly. If students miss a letter they sit down in their spot until it is their turn again; the last student standing is the winner of the game.
Phonics dominoes is a great individual or small group activity to help reinforce reading sounds awareness. Print photos of pictures for the students to color. Cut them out and glue them to an inexpensive set of plastic dominoes. Write letters, blends or beginning and ending word sounds on index cards in marker to glue to the dominoes as well. Students will play a traditional game of dominoes but instead of matching numbers they will match the images to the correct sound.