Add these pumpkin beginning sounds picture cards to your collection of kindergarten or preschool pumpkin activities today. The matching game is great during a pumpkin theme, or try it near a trip to the pumpkin patch.
The pumpkin sounds activity can be used in a few different ways, and you can differentiate based on the needs of your individual students. No matter how you use them, the beginning sounds pumpkins are great for your fall phonemic awareness and phonics lessons.
Be sure to grab the free printable at the bottom of this post. Then incorporate it into your beginning sounds activities this fall. Read below for more tips and ideas.
Related: Free Preschool Printables
Keep in mind, you don’t have to use the pumpkin sounds game the exact same way we have. You can make adjustments based on your own preferences and those of your students!
Pumpkin Beginning Sounds
While I’m not a big fan of preschool worksheets and their one-size-fits-all mentality, I do enjoy making printables for preschool and kindergarten. Mostly because you can adapt the printables depending on the kids you work with, and you can usually use them in a multitude of ways. These pumpkin sounds cards definitely fit that bill.
How to Prep the Beginning Sounds Picture Cards
Start off by grabbing any materials you need to prep the pumpkin sounds printable. Here’s what we used (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
- Printer
- Scissors (a paper cutter would work well, too)
- Laminator and laminating sheets
And that’s about it! You don’t have to laminate the cards if you don’t want to, of course. I just find that makes games like this last a lot longer.
Once you have the materials you need to prep the cards, consider picking up any additional items you’d like to use with the pumpkin beginning sounds. Here are some ideas:
- Magnetic letters
- Letter tiles
- Dry erase markers
- Pumpkin-themed sensory materials
Once you have your supplies ready, it’s time to prep the pumpkin picture cards! Here’s what to do:
- Get the free printable at the bottom of this post.
- Save it to your computer.
- Then open the file in the most up-to-date version of Adobe Reader.
- Next, print out the cards. Make extra copies if you want to.
- After that, cut the cards apart.
- Finally, laminate the pumpkin sound cards.
And now you’re ready to use the beginning sounds game with your students!
Using the Pumpkin Beginning Sounds with Kids
Call your students over and tell them you need their help. All the pumpkins in the pumpkin patch are mixed up. You need the kids to help place each pumpkin to its wagon. And the way to do this is by matching the beginning sounds.
Review with your students how to find the first sound in a word:
- Say a word.
- Model how to say the word slowly, drawing out the initial sound.
- Then say the beginning sound on its own.
- Have the kids help you practice with a new word.
After that, break the beginning sounds pumpkins into smaller groups. You’ll want to start with just a few at first. Walk the students through matching the pumpkins to the wagons. As the children grasp the concept, let them take over more and more of the task as appropriate.
Some children will want to match every single pumpkin card to every single wagon card. Others will only be up for doing a few at a time. You know your students best, so make adjustments based on their needs and your goals. End the matching game as you think best.
Other Ways to Use the Pumpkin Sound Cards
As I mentioned earlier, you can use the pumpkin beginning sounds printable in multiple ways. The most straight-forward way is the game I outlined above. Here are a few other ways you can use them with your students:
- Place the cards in a pumpkin-themed sensory bin. Encourage the kids to dig through the sensory materials to find all of the picture cards before matching them. Again, start with just a portion of the cards at first. You can always add more later.
- Hide the pumpkin picture cards in a small area of your classroom. Place the wagon cards out on tables or the floor. Have the kids go on a pumpkin hunt. Challenge them to work together to find the pumpkins and match them to the wagons.
- Pair the pumpkin beginning sounds with alphabet manipulatives of some kind. Let the children match the letters to the appropriate card pairs.
- Make multiple copies of the pumpkin sound cards. Play a simple memory game with the children, matching the images to each other. Touch on the initial sounds of the words as you play.
- For students who are writing letters, grab a white board and dry erase marker. Once the cards are paired up based on beginning sounds, have the kids write the letters that represent the sounds.
What Pumpkin Beginning Sounds Cards are in the Printable?
I created pumpkins and wagons to go along with each letter of the alphabet and the common sounds the letters make. I did add a few choices for the /ks/ sound that x makes. Even though the printable is really meant to focus on beginning sounds, I did add a pair of images with the /ks/ sound at the end (since that showcases the sound best).
The printable’s directions include a list of the pictures included. But just in case you’re interested ahead of time, here you go:
- Alligator, apple
- Bee, bubbles
- Cow, cake
- Doughnut, dog
- Elephant, envelope
- Fire, frog
- Grapes, glue
- House, hat
- Iguana, igloo
- Jellyfish, jump
- Kite, kangaroo
- Lion, lemon
- Magnet, mouse
- Nest, net
- Octagon, octopus
- Penguin, pineapple
- Quarter, queen
- Rainbow, robot
- Sun, snake
- Taco, tornado
- Up, umbrella
- Volcano, vacuum
- Watermelon, walrus
- X-ray, x-ray fish
- Xylophone, xylophone (yes, the same image)
- Fox, six
- Yarn, yoyo
- Zebra, zipper
How do you plan to use the pumpkin beginning sounds activity with your students? Don’t forget to grab a copy at the bottom of this post!
More Pumpkin Activities for Kids
We love a good pumpkin idea around here, what about you? Here are a few more to try out with the kids:
- Pumpkin Geoboard
- Count and Cover Pumpkin Numbers
- Pumpkin Sensory Bin
- Mini Pumpkin Roll and Paint
- How to Dye Pumpkin Seeds
- DIY Pumpkin Scented Rice Bin
- Pumpkin Life Cycle Printable Book
I think they’ll go well with the pumpkin beginning sounds phonemic awareness activity!
Pumpkin Preschool Lesson Plans
Let Preschool Teacher 101 save you a ton of time with fully-developed, done-for-you early childhood resources. Our lesson plans and supplemental materials are perfect for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten classrooms. If you’re a big fan of our work, be sure to join The Pack from Preschool Teacher 101, a membership site for teachers like you. Members get access to our materials (and members-only exclusives) for a steep discount.
Click on the image below to get our pumpkin lesson plans. This resource comes with a weekly overview, detailed daily lesson plans, whole group activities, small group lessons, center ideas, book suggestions, and related printables!
Here are a few other resources to check out:
You can also find us on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Get the Pumpkin Beginning Sounds Picture Cards
The beginning sounds pumpkins are available to members of Fun-A-Day’s (free!) email community. If you’re a member, add your email in the form below to get access to the free printable. If you’re not, you can join us by adding your information in the form below. You’ll then receive the picture cards as a welcome gift.
Find the form here if you can’t see it above!
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