Syllables can be a tricky concept to teach. I think this is one concept that is better understood through hands-on practice and exposure. When introducing syllables, I teach my children to listen for sound "chunks" within a word.
Once the concept has been introduced, help your child learn to recognize syllables with this hands-on syllable counting activity.
Every word have one or more "chunks;" sometimes hearing and breaking the word up into syllables is easy, but for finding the rhythm in other words, you may need to resort to clapping and/or putting your hand under your chin and counting how many times your mouth drops down {opens}.
Learning how to count syllables will help your child improve his/her reading and spelling skills. It is a fun activity that will also sneak in strengthening those fine motor skills!
Hands-on Reading Activity for Kids
To reinforce the teaching of syllables, I made these DIY syllable punch cards using a few materials from our craft/ school room closet.
Head on over to 123Homeschool4Me to read more about these Syllable Punch Cards!
If your child is struggling to understand syllables, here are a couple more ways to practice: