Are you looking for some ideas to create engaging phonics lesson activities? With your phonics instruction, you want to first make sure it is systematic and explicit, and done daily. However, this doesn’t mean it needs to be boring! Here are my top 4 simple and engaging phonics lesson activities to try with your students to see results.
Anchor Chart
Anchor Charts are a great visual tool that can double as an introduction lesson for a new phonics skill! At the beginning of introducing a new phonics skill, I use an anchor chart to introduce the skill and refer back to it throughout the week. I recommend to make the anchor chart interactive, so the only thing you prep ahead of time is the heading. The students should be the ones creating the rest of it, either calling out words, helping spell, etc. Here's a few anchor charts that you can use with phonics skills:
Introducing a phonics skill
Identifying words with specific phonics sounds
Using phonics sounds to sort and spell words
Write and Wipe
This has been my go-to simple phonics activity for years! If you have a class set of mini whiteboards, there are so many different activities you can do with it. If you don't have a class set, you can have students share or use laminated paper. Students love using dry erase marker so it's instant engagement for sure! Here are a few ways to practice phonics skills:
- Identify the beginning sound of a word
- Spelling CVC Words
- Name a rhyming word
- Identifying vowel patterns or consonant blends in a word
- Counting how many syllables are in a word
Pocket Chart Sorts- Picture or Word Sorts
Another must have teacher supply in my opinion is a pocket chart! I found myself using pocket charts multiple times a day, every day! Picture or word sorts are a great activity to use in a whole group setting. My best advice is before you have students do a sort during centers, practice it a few times as a whole group phonics lesson activity. Picture sorts are great when students are learning how to identify sounds in words. Word sorts work well when students are able to read words, but need to practice identifying different vowel patterns, blends, or diphthongs.
You can find this phonics picture sort included in the Consonant Blends and Digraphs Unit here.
Freeze Dance
If your students are getting a little antsy, have them play Freeze Dance! Again, you can do this with any phonics skill to create a really fun lesson activity. Play music and have students dance around. When the music stops, they freeze and look at you. This is where the learning comes in! Here's a few ideas you can use with freeze dance.
- Hold up a CVC word and have students read it
- Show a letter and have students name a word that begins with the letter
- Hold up a picture and have students name a rhyming word
- Say a word and have students spell it aloud
- Say a word and have students identify the middle sound
- Work on phoneme manipulation
If you are looking for more activities like this one, you can find them included in the No Prep Phonics Activity Guide and Printable Word Lists and Flashcards! It includes a guide full of 20+ activities and games, along with printable word lists and flashcards so you can easily teach any phonics skill!
Save time with the SFK Phonics Curriculum
For more fun and engaging lesson activities, you can find them inside the Phonics Curriculum! Each lesson includes a whole group phonics activity, along with differentiation ideas. Learn more about the Phonics Curriculum here.
Find the Phonics Curriculum available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store- available for both Kindergarten and First Grade.
Let me know which engaging phonics activities you will try with your class!