Long O Vowel Sound Games for 1st Graders

Onward with O!

The letter ‘O’ has got to be a mighty fellow since it can decide from among three ways how it likes to be pronounced! It is the rules of grammar that decide for it, but it has three choices anyway.

To help your learners with the long ‘O’ sound, it is essential to know the rules and help share them with your first grader. Take a look at some things you can do.

Over and Over the Long O Sound

Once your first grader is comfortable with the short ‘o’ vowel sound, it is time to bring in the big guns! The long ‘o’ has many ways it shows in words, and you might want to ease in a few at a time.

The first step is to introduce your kids to the long sound. Repeat the sound several times over, and then introduce some ‘O’ words and ask your child to pick the long ‘o’ sound. They can shout ‘oh yeah’ for the long sound and ‘oh no’ for the wrong ones. Remind them how ‘oh’ and ‘no’ both have the long sound in them.

You can work with two-letter-words that have a long sound – like no, so, and go. It is a good beginning. They can see clearly how the vowel sounds out. Notice how the long ‘o’ is at the end of the word? There are other similar words too – like potato, tomato, piano, and banjo.

Magic ‘E’s also bring out the long ‘o’ sound. Practice the magic ‘E’ using interactive games on SplashLearn. It can help clarify the concept well and ensure your kids are actively learning for a long time.

Other digraphs that bring out the long ‘O’ vowel sound include ‘oe,’ ‘oa,’ and ‘ow.‘ You can introduce them through games once your child has learned to apply the other spelling rules.

Motivating with an O

Longs and shorts can be pretty confusing, and your child may find some sounds easy and some hard. The key is to ensure there is a stress-free learning environment. It’s ok if they are struggling today. Maybe they can try again in a few days.

We make learning ‘O’ sounds a joy. To experience the best in online interactive learning, check out SplashLearn’s long ‘o’ sound games, and open up to the good times.

Is there something we missed out? Write to us at help@splashlearn.com with your feedback and comments. We love to hear from you and improve the learning experience for your kids.