Vocabulary Worksheet · Grades K–1
Counting Syllables Worksheet
A printable kindergarten and first grade worksheet on counting syllables. Students clap each picture’s name into beats and write how many they hear.
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Subject
Vocabulary
Grades
Grades K–1
Skill Focus
Counting Syllables, phonological awareness
Lesson Length
20 minutes
Learning Objective
Students will clap a spoken word into beats and write how many syllables it has.
Lesson Overview
About this worksheet
Counting syllables is a listening skill, not a reading one, and this sheet keeps it that way. Every item is a picture, so a child who cannot yet read a word can still clap it. Section A on page 1 is a cut-and-paste sort between one beat and two; Section B on page 2 covers one, two and three.
The hand-under-the-chin trick in the reference box is worth doing before the first item. A jaw drops once for each vowel sound, so a child who is unsure whether they clapped twice or three times can feel the answer instead of guessing it.
Pictures whose name can honestly be said two ways are left off this sheet, because the two names often have different beat counts. Page 3 is the answer key.
It comes in two editions: a full-color PDF and a low-ink black-and-white PDF for everyday copying, both with the same answer key.
How to Use This Lesson
Read the reference box and clap the three key words together.
Cut out the six tiles along the dashed line.
Say each picture, clap it, and paste it under 1 or 2.
Write the number of beats for each Section B picture, then check page 3.
Printable Resource
Pick the version that suits your printer: full color, or the low-ink black-and-white edition. Same worksheet, same answer key.
Full Member Resource · Printable PDF · 3 pages · Answer Key
Counting Syllables Worksheet (Low-Ink)
Black-and-white edition for everyday printing and photocopying.
Full Member Resource · Printable PDF · 3 pages · Answer Key
Counting Syllables Worksheet (Color)
Full-color edition of the same worksheet and answer key.
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