Engaging Phonetic Practice Through Movement – Phonemic Awareness Cards

Phonemic Awareness Cards transform traditional literacy practice into an active, hands-on experience. Instead of sitting still, students are encouraged to move, jump, stretch, or balance while identifying words that match specific phonetic descriptions. This combination of physical activity and word recognition keeps learners energised and focused, making lessons more memorable.

• Active learning benefits: Movement increases engagement, helps with memory retention, and supports kinesthetic learners.
• Classroom flexibility: Activities can be done indoors or outdoors, in small groups or whole-class settings.
• Confidence building: Students practice phonics in a playful environment, reducing anxiety and encouraging participation.

How these Phonics Task Cards Work

The set includes 32 task cards, each combining a literacy challenge with a physical action.

Teachers simply spread-out word cards appropriate for their students’ level, then read a description card aloud. Students must perform the action (such as hopping, clapping, or balancing) while simultaneously locating a word that fits the description.

• Step-by-step use:

1. Lay out word cards from your chosen set.
2. Select and read a description card.
3. Students perform the action while searching for the correct word.
4. Once everyone has chosen, each child shares their word aloud.

• Skill reinforcement: This process strengthens phonemic awareness, vocabulary recognition, and oral reading fluency.
• Adaptability: Teachers can adjust the difficulty by choosing simpler or more complex word cards, making the activity suitable for a wide range of grade levels.

Levelled for Differentiated Learning

To support diverse learners, the cards are divided into two leveled sets:

• 16 pink cards: Focused on CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, perfect for early readers who are just beginning to decode simple phonetic patterns.
• 16 green cards: Designed for more advanced practice, including CVCe words, blends, and vowel digraphs. These cards challenge students to apply their phonetic knowledge to more complex word structures.
• Differentiation made easy: Teachers can assign specific card sets based on student ability, ensuring that all learners are appropriately challenged.

Phonics Word Cards

Here is a collection of word cards that can be used with this resource:

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CVC/CCVC/CVCC Word Flashcards

A comprehensive set of flashcards for CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words.

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Phoneme Segmentation Flashcards – Set 2

A set of over 180 decodable phoneme segmentation flashcards.

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Phoneme Segmentation Flashcard Activity Set

Print this phoneme segmentation activity set stocked with 100+ printable flashcards for your classroom reading centers!