A "split it" race is best played with a teacher's assistant, since most kindergarteners cannot read fluently and will need someone on each team to read the word to them so they can hear the syllables. Use your computer to print out some words with two-syllable words in a large font and find two stick-like magnets. Form two teams of students, and set up two groups of words on each side of a magnetic board. Each team has their own side and must stand in line as each team member takes turns going up to the board to quickly place their magnet where the word splits into syllables. Each student places the magnet where he thinks it should be, looks at the teacher for a check and, if it is correct, hands the magnet to the next teammate. The first team to correctly split all their words wins. This game also works best when the children have already learned the alphabet and are working on the sounds the letters make so they can recognize where to place the magnets.
To work on syllables and numbers, read some one or two-syllable words off a list you have prepared. Instruct each student to tell you how many syllables there are in each word -- give them about a minute to answer and say the word two times. When a student answers correctly, he or she receives one point and should write either the number one or a slash on a piece of paper. If you have enough words to go around the room more than one time, instruct the children to either write the number two or make another slash.
You can use Bingo to teach syllables. Create Bingo cards with the numbers "1," "2" and "3" scattered on them. Bring in various markers for the Bingo cards. Have multiple words with one, two or three syllables ready for the game. Read each word out loud and have the students tell you how many syllables the word has. All the students must place a marker on the bingo card for the number of syllables that match the number of syllables of the word you called out. This game is best played with a large bingo card and the winner is the first child with one or two rows filled.
Say some words out loud and have the kindergarteners clap once for every syllable the word contains. It's best to use words with no more than two syllables if you are playing this game in the beginning of the school year and no more than three or four syllables at the end of the year.