Chicken Coop-Find the Middle Sound

This activity focuses on identifying the middle sound in simple words a key skill in early reading development. Children look at a picture, slowly sound out the word -^ prime prime m – a -t^ prime prime – and specifically listen for the sound in the middle of the word.

Why is it important?

Being able to hear and identify the middle sound in words is an important part of phonemic awareness – it helps children to:

Decode words more easily when reading

Spell words phonetically

Recognize sound differences between words

What you get:

Picture cards of simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words – cat, fish, sun, man, bus.

Sound mats

You need a quiet environment so children can listen carefully

Steps to Use:

Look at the picture:

Show the child the picture next to the word, for example, a cat.

Sound the word out together:

Ask the child to slowly sound out the word: “c-a-t”

Hear the middle sound:

Ask: “What do you hear in the middle?” or “What sound comes after the ‘c’ sound?”