Last Updated on October 10, 2022 by Editorial Team
Words can be misinterpreted if the vowels are not used correctly. Vowels are an important part of any English word, so reading and making appropriate use of them comfortably is crucial to becoming a great reader and writer. Neither all vowels sound similar, nor is every sound written with the same vowel. For young learners, these peculiarities of the English language can leave them confused or even frustrated.
Do your students often find trouble with vowel sounds? Maybe they use ‘e’ instead of ‘a’, or ‘i’ instead of ‘e’? Or they may simply require more practice? Teaching vowel sounds can be challenging at times. But, there are no shortcuts to this because without differentiating between the vowel sounds, students won’t read, write or even spell words correctly.
Fortunately, learning these vowel sounds does not have to be tedious. This post will look at some animated, fun, and engaging vowel games that will help your young student master the sounds easily.
Are games really that needed for learning vowels?
Vowels are the sounds you make just by flowing air over your vocal cords, and their name comes from the Latin word vox, which means “voice.” Linguists believe they don’t require any friction because the sound is produced without the use of the tongue, teeth, or lips. To make distinct vowel sounds, you must change the shape of your mouth.
You can’t expect your child to know the vowels just by giving a technical description. So, how to get started? Easy! One can begin by having fun and playing online games and apps. These games and apps can benefit in the following ways-
- Students learn to decrypt and decipher unfamiliar words, as games help them understand a word and the various syllables. This way, little learners do not have to memorize the words that need an extensive vocabulary. ‘Rare words’ that are otherwise challenging to grasp for kindergarteners become easy, as they often hear the word in the games.
- Children become more fluent readers right from their inception. When they have fun reading vowels and multisyllabic words, they get into the habit of reading unfamiliar words faster.
- Classrooms can be super competitive for the student. Many children might even shy away from answering a question because of the fear of answering it incorrectly. However, when they play games, their only competition is themselves. This results in less awkwardness and better results.
- Games help in understanding the rules of vowels better. The child might be curious to know why ‘umbrella’ starts with ‘an’ but ‘unique’ would not have the ‘an’, even when both starts with the letter ‘U.’ This rule of exception can be explained better with the help of games.
Fun online vowel games for kindergarteners
Unlike consonants, each vowel can make more than one sound or could be completely silent, having no sound at all. The distinction between long and short sounds is the most difficult aspect of teaching vowels. Many of the reading challenges we see in literacy classes at school are caused by confusion with the sounds or a lack of understanding of the role of vowels in words.
But don’t worry; we’ll help you out. Here are a few of the best vowel games for young learners to help them comprehend the differences between vowel sounds and master them rapidly.
1. Long and Short Vowel Sort
In this game, the students are challenged to sort all the pictures with long vowels into one cart and short vowels into another. This also helps them decipher letter-sound correlations. Thanks to its colorful arrangement and great animations, which keep the students engaged for longer periods.
2. Phonics Hop and Pop
There are nine different phonics subjects to pick from, and vowels are there in each game. You are required to listen to the words and then press the right vowel word, and another game requires you to read the word and then press the matching words as they come across the screen. All of these activities aim at improving both reading and listening skills at the same time.
3.Vowel Pairs Cat Food Spelling
There is a central character named Roly in this online gameplay who is on the lookout for vowel-pair words. Students are supposed to create words with common vowels they are provided with to obtain food for Roly. But, because the clock is ticking, students need to act quickly. This game is so much fun that the kindergarteners will learn the vowel sounds without even realizing it. It is great for learning simple words and homophones.
4. Silent E Word Sort
Silent E transforms short vowel words into long vowel words. By spotting this typical spelling pattern, youngsters learn how to categorize long and short vowels in this phonics game. Children can enhance fundamental reading abilities in a fun way by practising this important rule in this enjoyable school-themed game.
5. Short A Photoshoot
Challenge your child to locate things in this wonderful evening landscape that shorten the sound to help them develop vowel sounds. He’ll first peek through Officer Ice Cream’s special X-ray camera, then snap photos of all the goods whose names begin with the letter A. This game helps youngsters distinguish vowel sounds in words for genuinely good phonics practise even when they don’t see the words spelled out.
6. Spot The Silent E Words: Camping
Long vowels are important in first grade; let your youngster learn about silent e words while having fun with this charming camping scenario! Early learners search the campground for silent e words. Kids will be having so much fun playing detective that they won’t even realize they’re learning long vowel words.
The power of vowels
The way we perceive a language is greatly influenced by vowels. Focusing on them is especially crucial in English, as it is a non-phonetic language.
Knowing vowels is a prerequisite for understanding and writing in the language. Create a string of consonants and ask your young one to read it out. They will quickly realize that vowels give meaning to words and help them read properly. From the initial stages of their reading skills development, kindergarteners must be introduced to the power of vowels.
Once the students have a firm grasp on the vowels and the sounds they reflect, they can apply what they’ve learned. For young children, decoding words and learning the laws of vowels in context opens up a whole new world of learning and reading. One of the essential building elements along the route is the understanding of vowels.
Final thoughts
Initially, children find it challenging to learn short vowels and their sounds. Spelling tests just adds to their burden, especially if they find it difficult to distinguish them. As a result, reading is difficult for them as well. When it comes to reading difficulties, children frequently have similar issues across grade levels. If basics are not cleared in beginning, students may find it challenging in reading fluency in the next grades.
It’s easy to teach vowels as long as you remember to be consistent and have fun with them. Aim for at least 5-15 minutes each day for such fun sessions. It won’t be long before your young learner is reading it to you.