Phonemic awareness games for small groups, with data

Games keep a group of 5- and 6-year-olds working through the tenth item. They also have a cost. A board game where each child waits for three others to roll a die can give each student 6 sound turns in 10 minutes. A well-designed game gives 30 or more. The difference is whether the game is built around answering or around waiting.

The six games below are built around answering. Each targets one skill from the phonemic awareness continuum. The second half of the page shows how to record every student's answers on one sheet, so the game also gives you data. The pillar on phonemic awareness interventions covers the teaching routine these games support.

What makes a game worth the time

• One skill. A game that mixes rhyme, blending and deletion makes errors hard to read.
• Many turns. Everyone answers every item, or turns rotate in seconds.
• Quick feedback. The adult hears each answer and corrects on the spot.
• New words. The words change each time the game is played.
• Letters when ready. The same game works with letter cards once the group knows them.

Six games for small groups

1. Sound bingo (first sound isolation)

Each student has a bingo card of 9 pictures. Say a sound: "/f/." Students cover any picture that starts with /f/ and say the word. Everyone answers every call. Use letters on the cards instead of pictures once students know them.

2. Mystery bag (blending)

Put small objects in a bag: a cup, a pin, a bus, a sock, a fan. Reach in and say the sounds of one object: "/k/ /u/ /p/." Students blend and say the word together, then you pull it out. Next, one student at a time blends, and the others check with a thumbs up.

3. I spy sounds (blending with the room)

"I spy something that sounds like /d/ /e/ /s/ /k/." Students blend and point. Then a student takes a turn giving the clue, which practices segmenting too. Use objects in the room: door, desk, clock, book, map.

4. Freeze and segment (segmenting)

Play music for a few seconds. When it stops, say a word. All students freeze and tap out the sounds on their arm: "/m/ /o/ /p/." Call on one student to say the sounds aloud. The music resets attention every 15 to 20 seconds.

5. Stacking blocks (any skill)

Use a stacking block tower. A student must answer an item correctly before pulling a block, then the next student goes. Ask items fast; a turn should take under 15 seconds. This works for any skill, but it has the most waiting, so keep the group to 3 students.

6. Chain pass (sound changes)

Pass a ball. The first student says a word: "cat." The adult says a change: "/k/ to /h/." The student holding the ball says "hat" and passes it. Use letter tiles in the middle of the table once the group knows the letters; the student with the ball changes the tile. For chains, see phoneme substitution activities.

How many turns each game gives

These are rough counts for a group of 4 playing for 8 minutes, to help you choose.

Using the group data sheet during a game

The group data sheet has one row per student and a box for each item. It lets you track 3 to 5 students at once. Here is how to use it for a game.

1. Set the sheet up before the game. Write each student's name in a row. Write the skill and the IEP goal number next to any student with a goal for that skill.
2. Choose which items count. You cannot score every turn in a fast game. Score the first 10 individual turns for each student. Choral answers do not count.
3. Mark each scored item. Use a plus for correct, a minus for an error and P if you gave a prompt before the answer. Mark it right after the student answers, not at the end.
4. Total each row after the game. Write the count of pluses out of 10 at the end of the row.
5. Transfer IEP data weekly. Once a week, copy each IEP student's total to that student's goal graph. One game a week can serve as the weekly probe if the items match the goal's conditions.
6. Decide what to change. If a student scores under 5 of 10 two weeks in a row, reteach that skill outside the game, or move the student to an easier version.

For more on running data for several students at once, see group data collection in special education.

Worked example: a group of four

A fictional 1st grade intervention group plays freeze and segment twice a week. Luis has an IEP goal for segmenting 4-sound words. The other three students are in tier 2. The teacher scores 10 individual turns per student each Thursday.

Student D stayed at 2 or 3 of 10 for three weeks, so the teacher gave D extra Elkonin boxes work with chips before the game. Luis's Thursday scores went straight onto his goal graph.

Luis's goal: "Given 10 spoken words of 4 sounds, Luis will say each sound in order for 8 of 10 words on 2 consecutive weekly probes." Baseline: 3 of 10. See tap out each sound in words with blends.

Common mistakes

• Weak: A board game where students roll dice and move pieces. Better: Games where every move requires a sound answer.
• Weak: Scoring only the students who answer loudest. Better: Score 10 individual turns per student, even if the quiet ones need a direct call.
• Weak: Counting choral answers as data. Better: Choral answers are practice. Only individual answers go on the sheet.
• Weak: Mixing three skills in one game. Better: One skill per game, so the data tell you what to teach next.
• Weak: The same 20 picture cards every week. Better: Rotate new words so scores reflect skill, not memory.

Tools and templates

• Templates for each skill are on the phonological awareness goals page, including show sound counts in a class warm-up.
• Use the group data sheet for any game with 3 to 5 players.
• For a whole-class daily structure, see a 10-minute daily phonemic awareness routine.
• Check a draft goal in the goal checker.

Short, frequent probes graphed over time are what make the group's data useful for decisions.^[1] A game scored the same way each week can supply them.

Frequently asked questions

Use it in IEP Atlas

• Group data sheet
• Phonological awareness goals (reading)
• Phonemic awareness in the IEP glossary
• Phonological awareness in the IEP glossary
• IEP goal checker

Related guides

• Phonemic awareness interventions for students with IEPs
• A 10-minute daily phonemic awareness routine
• Manipulatives for phonemic awareness: what to use for each skill
• Phonemic awareness IEP goal examples
• Phonological awareness vs phonemic awareness vs phonics

Sources

1. Progress Monitoring: Data & Goal Setting, National Center on Intensive Intervention

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.