Get Ready to Read!
Early Literacy Activity of the Month
October/November 2007

How Many Words?

How Many Words? is a listening activity in which children learn that sentences are made up of words. They also practice listening for smaller segments of language.

This activity is a beginning activity, for children who are just beginning to develop the skills needed to learn to read and write.

This activity is a linguistic awareness activity. Linguistic awareness refers to a child's understanding of how language works, including the understanding of how sounds come together to make words.

Where can I find this activity? (The links below are PDF files that will open in a new window.)

How Many Words? for one adult with one child, in English 

How Many Words? for one adult with a group of children, in English

How Many Words? for one adult with one child, in Spanish 

How Many Words? for one adult with a group of children, in Spanish

My child is having trouble finding the rhymes. How can I help?
If a child is having difficulty with this activity, begin by counting claps instead of words. Clap two times, and help the child put down a counter for each clap. Try increasing the number of claps to four or five, helping the child to put down the right number of counters. Once the child seems comfortable with this, return to the activity using a simple two or three word sentence and help the child hear the separate words in the sentence.

How can I make this activity more challenging?
You can make this activity more challenging by using longer sentences. You can also have children think of sentences themselves while you put down the counters. Then they can tell you if you heard the right number of words!