Elkonin boxes are a wonderful tool to help kids learn phonological awareness!
(This post contains affiliate links.)
Have you heard of Elkonin boxes? These simple tools help kids build phonological awareness by helping them divide words into their individual phonemes.
Some quick vocabulary review:
phonological awareness – the ability to hear differences in the ways words sound. If children have phonological awareness, they can identify beginning sounds, count syllables, and rhyme.
phonemes – the individual sounds within a word. For example, “rake” has four letters but only three sounds – /r/,/ā/,/k/.
Read it: 21 Games to Develop Phonological Awareness
Elkonin boxes help kids hear phonemes. They’re a fantastic way to develop an important pre-reading skill.
Here’s how they work!
Print and cut apart the Elkonin boxes. (Laminate for durability if desired.) Then grab small manipulatives that are fun to use. We used these colorful glass gems.
Place a card in front of your child. Start with a simple one that has only two boxes.
‘Today we’re going to say the picture on each card and listen for the sounds in each word. We’re going to put one gem in a box each time we hear a sound. Let’s start with this first one. What picture do you see?”
“Bee.”
“Right. So when we say the word bee and separate it into its sounds, it sounds like this: /b/ /eee/. I can put one gem here for /b/ and one gem here for /eee/. Can you point to each gem as I say the sounds again? /b/ /eeee/.”
Continue the activity with the other words that have just two phonemes. /b/ /ō/.
Move to words with three phonemes if your child is ready. /m/ /oo/ /n/
Finish with the words that have four phonemes. Always remember that we’re counting the sounds we hear, not the letters we’d spell. Elkonin boxes are an oral activity. /k/ /l/ /o/ /k/
I pulled these cards out for my Four, who knows his letters very well (thanks to our letter of the week activities), understands concept of word (because of our work with voice to print cards), and is even starting to read simple sight word books.
But.
These were hard for him! It surprised me. He wasn’t able to isolate the sounds in each word, but he was willing to watch me do the activity and point to each sound as I named it. We’ll do the activity that way for now, and I think that one day soon he’ll be ready to try it himself.
Another way to use Elkonin boxes
- Name the picture and a particular sound. For example, say the word “moon” and tell your child to show where he’d mark the sound “/n/”. He should put a gem in the last box on the card.
Read it: Hear beginning, middle, and ending sounds with these clip cards
Grab your free cards below!
P.S. The download contains cards with images AND with clip art (in both color and black and white). Make sure you mark the pages you want to print so you don’t waste ink.
- p. 3-11 (real images)
- p. 12-20 (color clip art)
- p. 21-29 (black & white clip art)
P.P.S. A reader asked for an answer key. You’ll find it in the download.
Looking for more activities to develop pre-reading skills? Nursery rhymes are full of possibilities!
Get more freebies!
© 2016 – 2018, Anna G. All rights reserved.
Karen Kerns says
I just wanted to thank you. We were talking about Elkonin boxes in our PLCs the other week and I wanted to add them to my guided reading. I’m so excited to try these with my kiddos!
AND, I have your nursery rhyme packet – my kids LOVE it! Even my little boy who doesn’t speak English is enjoying the rhymes and learning new words. My kids are picking up so many important pre-reading skills! Thank you for all you do.
Anna Geiger says
I love that, Karen – perfect timing!! I’m so glad you got these in time to use them, and I’m THRILLED to hear that your students like my nursery rhyme pack!
funke abegunde says
Funke from Nigeria
Thank you Anna for sharing. I am a new subscriber, I feel at home already with your great ideas and the worm welcoming newsletter. I think your site will help me to assist some of my students that are strugling with their phnonological awareness and beginning reading skills. Continue the great work! I love it all.
Anna Geiger says
Welcome, Funke, and I hope you find many helpful resources on my site! 🙂
Louisa Tang says
Can you please give the answers of all the elkonin box ?
what are the phonemes of the following words?
shoe ice fox egg web ant apple leaf snail vase deer glue chin globe toast broom lamp train dress truck bread.
If there is no answers, I even don’t know the names of the pictures. Thanks for giving me the anwers so that I can learn
Many thanks!
Anna Geiger says
It’s included now, Louisa!
Lynn Masson says
Thank you for this, yes I know all about elkonin boxes from my Dyslexia Action training. Teaching English in France to young children, is exciting and this will be very useful.
many thanks !!!
Lynn
Anna Geiger says
Yay – so glad you can use these, Lynn!
ivi says
Wow Anna,
I can use the Elkonin boxes for myself, too! As a non-native speaker, it seems very funny to use! And useful of course!
Greetings from Italy!
Ivonne
Anna Geiger says
That’s great, Ivi! 🙂
Yvonne Fawehinmi says
These are awesome. I just started using these with my 4 year old who was struggling with breaking down words by sound. First I laid out some of 2 and 3 sound cards and I said words one sound at a time and because she was able to see the pictures it clicked. She loves to do these. I will also use them for my 6 year old so she can write in the letters for spelling practice. I love all of your resources! We are also using your Weather Packet and it’s great.
Anna Geiger says
Yay! I’m so excited that these helped the concept click with your 4 year old! Thanks so much for sharing, Yvonne. 🙂
Rachel du Toit says
Thank you, all the way from Phokeng, South Africa, for your wonderful free resources. They are so engaging and just what I need!
Anna Geiger says
I’m so glad to hear that, Rachel!
Nusrat says
Hi Anna,
Thanks a lot, your resources are a great help and of course interesting. Great work!! Continue sharing, thank you.
Anna Geiger says
Thank you for the encouragement, Nusrat!
kanchan Sharma says
Thank you for the great work done in the field of early years. My teachers are so excited with a substantial addition to their resource bank. This caters to the differentiation in our classroom.
Anna Geiger says
I’m so glad you can use this resource!
Kristine says
Thank you. I am a literacy coach and I love your resources
Anna Geiger says
Thanks so much, Kristine!
Janelle says
I love all your resources as you know.
However I was wandering, do you break up the consonant blends? such a gl bl etc. bl can be counted as one sound.
Thanks for the clarification
Anna Geiger says
Hi Janelle,
Consonant blends are two separate sounds. However, digraphs (sh, ch, th) are each a single sound.
Esma says
Tank a lot.
Anna Geiger says
You’re welcome, Esma!
Gerda Noël says
very nice but we don’t talk Englisch at school.
Ral says
Great treasures here
Thanks,
Ral
Anna G says
You’re very welcome, Ral! I’m glad you like them!
Sarah says
I love using these with my students. Thanks so much! Remember, x has two sounds /k/ and /s/ so it needs two boxes.
Anna G says
Ah yes, sorry I missed that! I don’t plan to make edits to this free file at this time, so I suggest to anyone reading this that they set that card aside. 🙂
Vanessa says
Hello!!
I am trying to download the free elkonin boxes by signing up but the site will not let me. If you could help out that would be great!
Anna G says
What’s happening when you try, Vanessa? Feel free to send me an email! anna@themeasuredmom.com
Marissa says
I have been trying to get the elkonin boxes but I guess the link is not working. I have put my email address down over and over again but still cannot get it. Would or could you please email them to me. I love all your resources and am excited to start using these boxes.
Kate Dowling says
Hi Marissa!
This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. Once you enter your email address, the file is sent to you immediately. If you haven’t checked your email, please go check it. Once you open the email, you will click on a blue link that says something like, “CLAIM YOUR OFFER.” Enjoy your elkonin boxes!
Su Lin says
Hi!
Love your resources!! Just letting you know that there is an error with one of the items on the segmenting phonemes task. Fox has 4 phonemes, not 3.
Fox – /f/, /o/, /k/, /s/.
/x/ is not a phoneme.
Thank you.
Anna G says
Yes, thanks! I’m not sure how I missed that. For now I recommend that people don’t use that card, as I don’t know when I’ll be able to make the edit.