Run and Find Syllables Game

Today, I’m joining the fun with What Do We Do All Day? as we do an indoor activity blog hop…perfect for those COLD winter days {or even HOT summer days} when you’re “stuck” inside. This is a super fun syllables game that will get kids moving, similar to our puzzle racing game, so get ready!

*This post contains affiliate links.

What are Syllables?

First, a little literacy background. What are syllables? Syllables are the bigger parts of sound that break up words into chunks. While each syllable in a word has to have a vowel, they don’t always have a consonant. For example, the word away only has a vowel for the first syllable (a-way). The ability to count, blend, and break apart syllables is an important skill needed for both reading and writing. For more information teaching syllables, you can visit my series called 3 Important Skills Kids Need for Reading.

Preparing the Syllables Game

The first thing I did was collect 2 and 3-syllable picture cards from Reading the Alphabet, a FREE reading curriculum that my 4 year old and I are doing together. The cards pictured in this post come from the $10 bundle pack, but the free version has picture cards as well. Alphabet picture cards can also be found in the bonus material of Learning the Alphabet.

I set up the cards on the cedar chest in our den and then placed a bucket on the floor down the hallway for her to drop the cards into {we’ll get to the “how” part in a minute.}

Caution: Since this relay race requires moving quickly, make sure you move furniture or toys out of the way. We also removed socks to prevent slipping on our hardwood floors. Safety first!

Run and Find Syllables Game

Okay, are you ready to play?

1. She started by the bucket {yes, she did remove her socks before we played}.

2. I said the name of an object pictured on one of the cards, but separated it a little at the syllable juncture. For example, instead of saying “cookie”, I said it like this: “cook—ie”, putting a little silence in between the syllables.

3. She listened and then said the syllables together quickly to pronounce the word normally, (“cookie”). If your child struggles to do this, say the word parts together a little quicker several times until you’re saying the word normally to model how to put them together. If she is still having a hard time doing it, she may not be ready, yet and that’s okay. I’ll show you how you can adapt this game for your child towards the end of this post.

4. Once she identified the word, she ran to the picture cards and found the picture that we just said.

5. She ran back with the image and dropped it into the bucket.

6. The process started over again. She did so well with it, that the next time we played, I added more cards plus I added in some longer words as well.

Adaptations for the Run & Find Syllables Game:

Use toys and objects from around the house to use instead of picture cards. Just make sure the objects are not breakable or pointy, as your child will be running with the object in hand.
Practice beginning sounds. If your child is not ready to do this with syllables, set out picture cards that start with different letters. Say, “Find the picture that starts with ____,” making the beginning letter sound.
Practice rhyming. Use single syllable pictures and say something like, “Find the picture that rhymes with ____.” For more rhyming fun, visit our Rhyme Time Pre-K/K Pack.
Practice blending phonemes. If your child needs to be stretched beyond syllables, use single syllable picture cards {you can find some free ones in this pack} and say, “Find the picture that has these three sounds /t/-/o/-/p/,” saying the individual sounds, or phonemes, in the words.