Consonant and Vowel Toss and Sort

 

This activity is a hands-on way for kids to explore the concept of consonants and vowels. As adults we all learned that there are two different types of letters:  the vowels are “a”, “e”, “i”, “o”, and “u” (and sometimes “y”) and consonants include every other letter in the alphabet! But we can go a bit deeper (and our kids can too). A vowel is a sound that is made by allowing breath to flow out of the mouth, without closing any part of the mouth or throat. A consonant sound is made by blocking air from flowing out of the mouth (with the teeth, tongue, or roof of your mouth).

 

This activity was for our “wacky weekend” game for Day 22 of our 30 Days of Reading Fun for Beginning Readers series. My daughter really enjoyed this activity and grasped the concept much quicker than I anticipated.

 

Here’s what you’ll need for this Consonant and Vowel Sort and Toss:

-26 ping pong balls

-3 containers

-Permanent marker

 

1. Write each individual letter on a ping pong ball and then make two signs to add to your bucket or container:  one that says “consonants” and the other that says “vowels”. I also added the corresponding letters underneath as this was my first time introducing this concept to my daughter.

 

2. Give your child the ping pong balls. Encourage her to say the sound aloud and identify whether the tongue, lips, or roof of the mouth is used to say each sound.

 

3. Have your child toss the ping pong ball into the corresponding container.

 

She really enjoyed this activity!

 

All done!

 

 

 

Find more hands-on activities for beginning readers here:

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