- name cards
MA Standards:
Foundational Skills/RF.PK.MA.2: With guidance and support, demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
Head Start Outcomes: Language
Literacy Knowledge/Phonological Awareness: An awareness that language can be broken into words, syllables, and smaller pieces of sound.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 7: Develop familiarity with the forms of alphabet letters, awareness of print, and letter forms.
Word Play: Clap It Out
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
ELA Focus Skills: Listening and Speaking, Phonological Awareness
Place name cards face-down in a pile. Tell children you are going to play a name clapping game with them.
- Point to the pile of name cards and explain that you are going to turn one over at a time. Say, When I turn the name over I will look right at the child whose name is on the card. You are to say your name out loud.
- Tell children you are going to clap how many parts there are in the child's name. Demonstrate for children by say in your first name and clapping out the syllables. Have children say and clap your name.
- Then continue the activity until all children have been acknowledged.
Educator Tip: For groups with older children, you may want to have them count as the group claps out syllables. Then ask the children counting, How many parts are in Ling's name?