Are you looking for a fun way to get your students to tune in to listening and identifying beginning sounds? Well, who doesn't love a bit of magic?

My 'Beginning Sounds Magician Mini Games' will be a hit in your classroom and ensure your students are listening for the beginning sounds in words- an important phonemic awareness skill. There are 6 mini games included. If you click on the game you wish to play on the contents page, it will take you directly to the game you want to play. Four of the games are auditory/ matching games and two include the sound symbol.

A word list is provided for each game to assist you. I suggest you refer to this as you play the games with your students.

Important: I say the names of the pictures and I get my students to repeat them back. I have found that if students say the words, they can hear and identify the beginning sound in the words better and have more success.

1. The ‘Abra-cat-abra Hat’ Beginning Sound Game.

There are 2 ways that I recommend you play the game.

1. Teacher to say the words and students repeat the words back and identify the beginning sound.

2. Students identify what the picture is on the hat and what the pictures are on the magic dust puffs. It is still recommended that the teacher has the word list to ensure students are saying the picture is the correct thing.

Another way to play this game is to instruct students to put their thumbs up when you say the word that starts with the same beginning sound. Click the mouse to reveal the answer. If the answer is wrong in this game, it will say try again. If it is correct, a tick will bounce onto the screen.

2. The ‘Disappearing Act’ Beginning Sounds Game.

In this game, students will look on the stage (stump) and identify what the beginning sound is in the picture. Then they will look at each hat on the ground and decide which hat has the same beginning sound as the one on the stump.

When you have decided on the answer, click on the magic wand (next to the rabbit). The wand is animated to make the incorrect answers disappear. Simply click on the wand to make the animations work.

3. The ‘Three Cup Monte’ Beginning Sound Game.

To flip each of the 3 cups, simply click on them one at a time. They will reveal a picture. On the top, you will see that the magician will ask, “Find the object that begins with…”. Click on the picture that has the same beginning sound.

If you get it incorrect, it will say try again. If you get it correct a tick will appear.

4. The ‘Who is right?’ Beginning Sound Game.

Look in the magic hat between the two students.

1. Tell the students what the object is. Get them to copy you saying it so that they can hear the beginning sound more easily.

2. Get the students to identify what the picture is inside the magic hat.

Is the boy or girl thinking of the word that begins with the same sound? You could also ask your grade, what the beginning sound is of the child who is incorrect. (If you wish, give the students names, rather than boy and girl).

Click and the thoughts will appear and reveal 2 pictures. If you click on the correct answer, a tick will appear. A ‘try again’ will appear if the answer is incorrect.

5. The ‘Magic Card Match’ Beginning Sound Game.

The magician is thinking of a word. Say the word and identify the beginning sound. Click the mouse, and the cards will appear.

Identify the beginning sounds on each card and work out which card has a picture that starts with the same sound.

Please note: Only the correct answer appears in this game with a mouse click. It will not notify your students if they are incorrect as the slide has many images/ graphics and I don’t want to overload it.

6. ‘Di’s Doves’ Beginning Sound Game.

Which of the doves has the picture/ object that starts with…?

Then a the sound symbol will appear on the magician (/_/). This text is editable so you can make it k if you wish (instead of /k/). You can also change the font to your state font.

Click and the doves will appear and fly up out of the magicians hand.

As a grade decide who is correct.

Please note: The incorrect answer will disappear with a mouse click leaving the correct answer.

This resource can be used with:

• The whole class.
• A small group.
• One on one intervention.

The animations will only work in PowerPoint in the SlideShow Tab.

Thanks,

Please keep your eyes peeled for future P.A games that are coming soon.

Meg