Learning vowels is the first task a child should do before learning to write and read . It is very important that at this stage children have fun with vowels and not see their learning as a tiresome and compulsory activity. And to achieve this there are very good techniques that combine games and learning at the same time. These techniques can be applied in children between 2-3 and 5 years old, which is usually the recommended age to learn the letters little by little. Of course, we must bear in mind that after 5 years there may be children who still have difficulties , so it will be equally good to practice different types of games with them as well.
Learning letter sounds is one of the first steps in learning to read, and you will never become proficient or attracted to reading if you cannot pronounce well or have difficulty with some letters or are not yet fully acquainted with them. We must also bear in mind that, although the sounds of many consonants are easy for children, especially strong ones such as P, vowels can sometimes cost a little more or at least to recognize them graphically.
Therefore, if this learning can be done in a fun and enjoyable way, we will be getting the little ones to have more desire to practice and improve their repertoire of letters, which will be the way to the establishment of their language and their future ability to read and to write.
3 fun games to learn vowels
- The wheel of treasures
In this game you must create 5 wheels with a vowel in the center, so you will have the wheel of the a, the e, the i, the o and the u. The idea is that the child draws around each wheel his favorite objects with each vowel . For example, around the “a” you can draw an airplane, a spider, your grandmother Ana or your dog Cotton. You should do the same with the other wheels by drawing objects, animals or people that start with each vowel. In this way they not only learn the vowels, but they can also reinforce their vocabulary .
- Find the vowels of the names
It is a game that consists of identifying the vowels of the names, starting with the name of the boy or girl. To carry it out you will need sheets, pencil and colors. The idea is that you write his name on a sheet of paper and let him identify the vowels . Once he does, tell him to color it with his favorite color. You can do the same for other names in the family such as the name of mom, dad, uncles, grandparents, etc.
- The magic Box
The magic box is a very interesting game where, in addition to learning vowels, children will practice classifying objects, something that is very important for mathematics. The game consists of creating 5 small boxes identified each with a vowel, a, e, i, o and u. Then, in a bag, add pieces of paper with words like pacifier, milk, friend, etc. The idea is that the child takes a piece of paper from the bag and places it in the corresponding box according to the vowel of the first syllable. For example, if the child draws the word friend, the first vowel is “a”, so he must place the strip of paper with that word in the magic box identified as “a”. If the child makes a mistake during the process, stop and explain why.
With games as simple as these, the little ones will think that they are playing and having fun and, in addition to being true, they will also be forging the foundations of an excellent learning of vowels. You can also do these same games with consonants!
And you? Do you practice any more with your little ones?
