Phoneme Substitution Activity for Phonological Awareness

This set of phoneme substitution word ladders is designed to support students in developing strong phonological awareness skills. In this activity, students begin at the top of the ladder with a given word. They:

1. Students say the word out loud and record it on their sheet.
2. Students change one sound (beginning, middle, or end) to form a new word, say it, and write it down. They continue down the ladder, changing one phoneme at a time, until they reach the last word on the ladder.

This adaptable activity provides hands-on phoneme practise and is easily modified for different skill levels!

Tips for Using Phoneme Substitution Ladders in the Classroom

Phoneme substitution ladders are a powerful tool for helping students strengthen phonemic awareness by practicing sound changes in words. Here are some tips to make the most of these activities in your classroom:

1. Complete the activity ass a whole class. Show students how to identify a phoneme in a word, swap it out, and form a new word. Encourage them to say each word aloud, helping everyone hear the sound changes.
2. Use hands on materials like magnetic letters or letter tiles to show the words on the ladder. 
3. Make the activity active by creating a large ladder on the floor with tape or paper. As students change a phoneme, they “step down” to the next word, reinforcing both the physical and mental process of moving to a new word.
4. Pair students or place them in small groups to work on ladders together. Working in pairs allows students to discuss each step, check each other’s work, and build collaborative skills. It also provides support for students who may struggle with phoneme substitution on their own.
5. For students who are ready for an added challenge, set a timer to see how many words they can complete on the ladder within a time limit. This makes the activity fun and fast-paced while promoting phoneme fluency.

Phoneme Manipulation Activity Ready to Go!

Use the dropdown menu to choose between the easy to print PDF version of this resource or the editable Google Slide version. 

This resource was created by Samantha Rose, a teacher and a Teach Starter collaborator.

More Phoneme Substitution Activities

Looking for more phoneme substitution activities to use in the classroom? We have you covered…

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