Multisyllabic Words Part I: What is a syllable?

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When children begin to read they learn to read one syllable words-cat, hop, bit. As they become more advanced readers they encounter Multisyllabic Words such as: habitat, -words like these can give your child a deer in headlights kind of look to them. As students develop in reading they need to know how to identify chunks/syllables in words. For some children this comes naturally to them where others need some more assistance in this area. 

Lets pause for a moment and talk about what a syllable actually is. A syllable is a chunk or word part that contains at least one vowel and is pronounced with one push of breath. 

Here are some activities you can do to help your child understand what a syllable is;

Oral Activities:

• Place your hand under your chin, say a multisyllabic word and count how many times your feel your jaw drop.
• Look into a mirror and watch your mouth move as you say words. 
• Clap out syllable parts-begin with their name or the names of objects meaningful to them
• Have your child repeat a word but ask them to say it without the first syllable. Start with a compound word; you say:snowman      child says:man

Visual Activities:

• Make a list of short words and long words. Look at how many letters there are-more letters=more syllables.