Blending

What is it?

Children are able to hear and say the individual sounds in a word and then blend the sounds to say the word. For eg:
/i/ /t/ (it) /d/ /o/ /g/ (dog), /l/ /i/ /ck/ (lick).

Importance: Children need to be able to take individual sounds and blend them together because it helps them to
make words from segmented parts.

How do I teach it?

You can embed blending into your everyday routines: morning message, read alouds, snack time, dressing, math,
music, and transitions.

Begin with compound words then move onto smaller multisyllable words in a word, onset and rime, and individual
sounds in a syllable.

Focus on Blending Awareness through the following activities:

• Bean Bag Toss – Stretch out a word (f – ee – t), toss the beanbag to a student and have them blend the
sounds together to make the word while throwing the beanbag back to you.
• Robot Talk/Turtle Talk - Talking in "Robot Talk," students hear segmented sounds and put them together
(blend them) into words.
• Sound Blending Using Songs - The following activity is to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap
Your Hands."
If you think you know this word, shout it out!
If you think you know this word, shout it out!
If you think you know this word,
Then tell me what you've heard,
If you think you know this word, shout it out!
After singing, the teacher says a segmented word such as /r/ /a/ /t/ and students provide the blended word
"rat."
• When using books, poems or charts for shared reading/read alouds, stop at opportune moments to have
students blend words that have been segmented.
• Guess It! Teacher says, “I’m thinking of an animal.” S/he orally segments the name of the animal (/p/ /i/ /g/).
Students guess the name of the animal (pig).
• Name Game- When you are lining up children for recess, practice blending. Say a child’s name in parts, such
as /s/ /a/ /m/, as the child gets in line and the class blends the name.

Resources for blending

• Brown, Marcia. Stone Soup

• De Paola, Tomie. Strega Nona
• Lionni, Leo. Swimmy
• Freeman, Don. A Pocket for Corduroy