Syllables

🗣️ Counting Syllables – Why It Matters & How to Practise at Home

Counting syllables is a fun and important part of early literacy—and it’s something you can easily practise at home, anytime! Syllable counting is a key part of phonemic awareness, which means your child is learning to hear and break down the sounds in words. This skill lays the foundation for both reading and writing.

👉 Why is it important?

Every syllable in a word has at least one vowel or vowel sound, so counting syllables helps children:

• Hear the structure of words

• Spell longer words more accurately

• Improve their fluency and rhythm when reading aloud

👉 How to count syllables:

• Say the word out loud slowly (humming the word can also help)

• Clap, tap, or count on fingers for each beat or "chunk" you hear

• For example: ba-na-na = 3 syllables, dog = 1 syllable, spi-der = 2 syllables

👉 Make it fun!

You don’t need a worksheet—though we’ve included a fun fruit-themed one if you’d like to print and cut it out (great for fine motor skills too!).

You can practise syllables with:

Household objects: toaster, sofa, mirror

Colours: purple (2), yellow (2), red (1)

Animals: tiger (2), elephant (3), cat (1)

Family names: Olivia (4), Jack (1), Amanda (3)

Counties or towns: Antrim (2), Armagh (2), Ballymena (4)

Numbers: seven (2), fourteen (2), ninety-nine (3)

🚗 On the go? Call out words in the car or at the dinner table and ask your child to clap or tap the syllables.

A little daily practise like this can go a long way. Syllable awareness helps unlock more confident reading and stronger writing skills—plus, it’s a great way to have fun with words!