There’s a good chance your 3-year-old loves to talk, talk, talk and has gotten pretty good at it! Now you can work on strengthening his developing listening skills. This fun game will help your little one listen carefully and discover that words can break apart into smaller sound units, or syllables.
- shoebox (or other container)
- 3-5 familiar household objects that will fit inside the box (Examples: banana, napkin, crayon, dinosaur, etc.)
Step 1: Gather three familiar household objects whose names contain two to four syllables. As you place them in the box, say the name of each item.
Step 2: Tell your child that you are going to play a guessing game, and that he will need to listen very carefully to know which object to pull from the box.
You might say:
I am going to say the name of something in this box in a silly way. I want you to see if you can guess what it is and then find it in the box.
Step 3: Say the name of one of the objects slowly, pausing between each syllable. As you say the word, clap once for each syllable. For example, if you chose the napkin, you might say:
Can you guess which word I am saying? Listen… nap…kin
Can you find the nap…kin? Show it to me!
Step 4: Encourage your child to look in the box to find the object and to tell you its name. Acknowledge your child for finding it.
What did you find? You found the napkin!
Step 5: Repeat with the remaining objects in the box.
Ask your child to choose an object from the box and to tell you its name. For example, if your child chose the napkin, you might say:
What did you choose? You chose the napkin. Let’s say it together: napkin
Say the word slowly and show your child how to clap once for each syllable in the word.
Now, let’s say the word slowly.
Now you try: nap…kin
Step 4: Repeat with the remaining objects in the box.
Gather three to five familiar household objects that each have a different number of syllables in their names. As you place them in the box, say the name of each item.
This time when you play, you will clap the syllables of an object in the box, but you will not say the word aloud. For example, if you chose the napkin, you might say:
Let’s try something new. I want you to find an object in the box whose name has two parts or two syllables. When you clap the name of this object slowly, you clap two times. Can you guess what it is? Listen: X X
Praise your child for finding an object whose name has two syllables. If, however, an object is chosen that has three syllables, explain it by saying the name of that object slowly in syllables, while clapping once for each syllable. For example: Listen to how many times I clap when I say banana slowly. Do you hear two claps or do you hear three?
Repeat with the remaining objects in the box.