Create flashcards to help a child learn about vowels and their sounds. Write each vowel on one side of an index card. Then draw a picture that helps demonstrate the vowel sound on the other side of the card. Make one set of flashcards for the long vowel sounds and one for the short sounds. For instance, make two cards with an "A" on the front, then on the back of one card draw a picture of an apple to represent the short "A" sound and on the other card an ape to represent the long "A" sound.
Use games to help young children learn the vowels. Fill a paper bag with items that start with vowels. These items could include an acorn for the long "A" and a picture of an ice cream cone for "I." Put in other items, such as an apple and an egg, that represent the short vowel sounds. Have one student pull out an item and ask the rest of students to shout out the vowel that the item starts with. Then ask them to yell out whether the item starts with a long or short vowel sound.
Help students learn vowels and their sounds with catchy songs. Choose a well-known tune, such as "Happy Birthday," and make up your own words about vowel sounds. For instance, replace the words from "Happy Birthday" with "A E I O U" and keep repeating the vowels throughout the song. Use the same tune with the short and long vowel sounds.
Give children a handout with a simple story written on it. Then have students circle all the vowels they see on the page.
Another activity to help kids learn vowel sounds is to hold up letter cards and ask students to stand up if the letter shown is a vowel and sit down if it is a consonant.