Punch 9 - Syllable Count

Syllable Count
This is fun and kids love to do it. Take a moment to remind your child what we learned in punch 8 about vowels: every word has a or several vowel sounds. We will now convert that information into the concept of syllables. You will teach your child to recognize that words have parts, those parts are called syllables and the vowel sounds make the syllables.


Introduce the word:
- separate the syllables and have little Sara repeat: Syl • la • ble
- do it again while taping your chin with each syllable 
- say and have her repeat: syllable


Share the information:
- every word has one or more parts/or sounds/or syllables
- every syllable has only one vowel sound


The syllable count:
This is the fun part and where they start to get it. First, take your child's name and say it slowly with a clap at each syllable. Second, say it again but while saying each syllable put up a finger to count the syllables.
- clap: Jef • fer • y (3 claps)
- count: Jef(1 finger up) • fer(2nd finger) • y(3rd finger)
- Share: YAY, Jeffery has 3 syllables
Continue with this game, exploring any and all words and names you both can think of. Do silly words, super heros and princesses, items you see in the room, words from a favorite book. Be sure to do one syllable words too like mat, big, mom, dad etc(refer to the phonetic words tab above).


The idea with the syllable count is to start programing your child to recognize that words have parts. We must recognize a part before we can make a whole. 


This is a simple game and generally kids take to it very easily and enjoy doing it.