Phoneme Substitution Activity with Picture Task Cards

This set of phoneme substitution picture cards are a versatile resource that will be the perfect addition to your phonemic awareness activities for your classroom. 

Each strip includes four pictures in a line with each picture substitution either the beginning, middle or final phoneme. For example:

• Box ➡️ Fox ➡️ Fog ➡️ Dog
• Red ➡️ Bed ➡️ Bud ➡️ Bug
• Pig ➡️ Wig ➡️ Win ➡️ Bin

The word cards can be used for student self-checking but doesn’t need to be used. 

Phonemic Awareness Activity – Question Prompt Ideas

This activity emphasizes listening to phonemes and recognizing changes in sounds without relying on letter-sound connections. While images are used on the picture cards, students focus on identifying the specific phoneme change in each word. Here are some questions to help guide their phonemic awareness:

• How many sounds do you hear in this word?
• Which sound changed in the new picture? Was it the beginning, middle, or end sound?
• Can you think of another word that you could make by changing that same sound?
• What sound do you hear at the beginning of this word? Is it the same as in the last word?
• If we change the last sound in the word, what new word would we create?
• What happens to the meaning of the word when we change this sound?
• Can you find a word that has a similar beginning sound to this one?
• What other words rhyme with this word, and how do their sounds differ?
• Can you say the word and emphasize the sound that changed?
• If we replaced the middle sound, how would that change the word?

These prompts help students actively listen for phonemic changes, enhancing their awareness of sound structure in words.

Download and Practice Manipulating Phonemes Today!

To download this manipulating phonemes activity, use the drop down menu to choose between the editable Google Slide version or the easy to print PDF version.

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

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