19 Diy Phonics Activities For kids

Learning to read can feel like a big mountain to climb for little ones, but what if we could turn that climb into a playful exploration? Phonics, the system of sounds within words, doesn’t have to be rote memorization.

Imagine games, crafts, and hands-on adventures that naturally weave in letter sounds and word building.

This article is your guide to a world of engaging phonics activities, proving that the most effective learning often happens when children are having the most fun.

Phonics activities

Phonics Sorting Sticks

This Phonics Sorting Sticks activity is a hands-on and engaging way for children to practice identifying beginning or ending sounds in words.

By writing different phonetic sounds (like An, sh, and In) on paper cups or containers and then writing words on craft sticks, the activity encourages children to sort the word sticks into the correct container based on the featured sound.

This makes learning phonics interactive and reinforces sound-letter relationships.

Donut Phonics

This Donut Phonics activity offers a sweet and engaging way for children to practice letter recognition and matching.

The worksheet features outlines of donuts, each containing a lowercase letter.

Colorful donut cutouts, also displaying lowercase letters, are used to match to the corresponding letter on the worksheet.

This playful approach makes learning the alphabet a fun and visually appealing experience.

Find Ending Sound Phonics

This Find Ending Sound Phonics activity is a clever way to help children focus on the final sounds in words, a crucial skill for early reading and spelling.

The worksheet presents pictures on the left and corresponding words on the right, with the ending letter or letters missing.

The task is for the child to identify the picture, say the word, and then determine the missing ending sound to complete the word.

Alphabet Beginning Sound Match

This Alphabet Beginning Sound Match activity is a fun and interactive way for children to connect letters with the sounds they make at the beginning of words.

In this activity, kids have to match the colorful wooden letters to the pictures that start with that letter’s sound.

For example, the letter “O” would be matched with the picture of an orange, “K” with a kite, “F” with a fish, and so on.

This hands-on approach helps children develop phonemic awareness, the ability to hear and identify individual sounds in spoken words.

Phonics I-Spy Bottle

This Phonics I-Spy Bottle is a clever and engaging sensory activity that combines letter recognition with fine motor skills.

A clear bottle is filled with colorful dyed rice, and a letter is attached to the outside. The task is for the child to shake the bottle and then carefully search through the rice to find a small object hidden within that starts with the letter shown on the bottle.

Letter Sorting

This “Letter Sorting” activity provides a hands-on way for children to develop their visual discrimination skills and learn about the basic shapes that make up letters.

The activity involves sorting letter magnets into two categories: “Curve” and “Straight,” based on whether the letter’s form primarily consists of curved lines or straight lines.

Phonics Hole Punching Card

This Phonics Hole Punching Card activity offers a tactile and engaging way for children to practice identifying the beginning letter sound of words.

Each card features a picture in the center surrounded by an array of letters.

The task is to use a hole punch to mark the letter that corresponds to the initial sound of the object in the picture.

Letter Sounds Board Game

This Letter Sounds Board Game offers a playful way for children to reinforce their knowledge of letter sounds.

The game board features a path with uppercase letters and colored squares, starting at “A” and leading to “Z” and then a “Finish” square.

The child moves a game piece along the board, likely saying the sound of the letter they land on. The colored squares might introduce additional instructions or challenges, adding an element of fun and surprise to the learning process.

Phonics Ball Game

This Phonics Ball Game offers a playful and active way for children to practice letter recognition and matching.

A muffin tin is labeled with different letters in each cup. Colorful balls, also marked with letters, are then used to match and place into the corresponding lettered cups.

This activity combines visual recognition of letters with the fun of a simple tossing or placing game, making learning more engaging and kinesthetic.

Pick An Ice Cream Stick

This Pick An Ice Cream Stick activity appears to be a simple and versatile tool for various learning games.

Popsicle sticks are placed in a container, and individual sticks are drawn. In this image, some of the sticks have letters written on them.

This suggests the activity can be adapted for letter recognition, phonics practice, or even spelling games.

Magic Spoons

This Magic Spoons activity is a fun and interactive way to practice word building and phonics.

Colorful spoons, each labeled with a different beginning letter, are used to complete word endings written on cards.

The child picks a “magic spoon” (a letter) and places it in front of a word ending to see if they can create a real word.

Cups Phonic Activity

This “Cups Phonic Activity” uses simple paper cups to create an interactive tool for practicing CVC words.

Each cup has a different part of a CVC word written on it. By stacking and rotating the cups, children can create and read different word combinations.

Parents or educators can support this activity by creating cups with various beginning and ending sounds. They can encourage the child to rotate the cups to create different words and then sound them out.

ABC Scoop

This ABC Scoop activity is a delightful and visually appealing way to practice matching uppercase and lowercase letters and associating them with beginning sounds.

Each ice cream cone features a lowercase letter on the cone and an uppercase letter along with a word that starts with that letter on the “scoop” of ice cream.

Parents can support this activity by having children name the uppercase and lowercase letters on each ice cream. They can also encourage them to say the word on the scoop and emphasize the beginning sound.

Popsicle Sticks Letter Recognition

This “Popsicle Sticks Letter Recognition” activity is a simple yet effective way for children to practice matching uppercase and lowercase letters.

Each popsicle stick is labeled with either an uppercase or a lowercase letter. The task involves pairing the sticks with the corresponding uppercase and lowercase forms.

Phonics Candy Jar

This Phonics Candy Jar activity is a sweet and engaging way for children to practice identifying beginning sounds.

The worksheet features a large candy jar filled with outlined candies, each containing a word.

Colorful candy cutouts, also featuring words, are used to match the candies in the jar based on the beginning letter sound.

Phonics Playdough

This Phonics Playdough activity offers a multisensory way for young children to engage with letter sounds and vocabulary.

The child is using red playdough to fill in the dots on a picture of an apple, next to the uppercase and lowercase letters “A” and “a.

This hands-on approach combines tactile exploration with visual and auditory learning.

Phonics Magnetic Fishing Game

This Phonics Magnetic Fishing Game is an engaging and interactive way for children to practice letter recognition and beginning sounds.

Colorful fish, each labeled with a different letter, float in a container.

A fishing rod with a magnet attached to the end of the string is used to “catch” the fish.

When a fish is caught, the child can identify the letter and say a word that starts with that letter’s sound.

Phonics Cups Word Matching

This Phonics Cups Word Matching activity provides a hands-on way for children to practice matching letters to form words.

The worksheet presents outlines of cups, each containing a letter.

Corresponding letter tiles, attached to the bottom of small cups, are used to match the letters on the worksheet to spell out words.

Phonics Learning with Pipe Cleaners

This Phonics Learning with Pipe Cleaners activity offers a tactile and creative way for children to learn and reinforce letter recognition and formation.

By bending and shaping colorful pipe cleaners, children can physically create uppercase and lowercase letters.

This hands-on approach engages their sense of touch and strengthens the connection between the visual form of a letter and the motor skills involved in making it.

Conclusion 

There are many easy and helpful ideas here for parents and teachers to help kids with their sounds.

Doing these fun sound games a little bit every day is super important. It makes learning to read easier and more exciting.

As kids get better at reading, keep changing the games and trying new fun things. This will help them become really good readers for a long time.

Please share in the comments which of these activities your child enjoys the most!