You know that dogs bark and cats meow—but have you ever wondered how these words came to be? Say bark and meow out loud—do you notice anything interesting? That’s right—they sound like what they mean!
When a word sounds like or imitates the thing it describes, it is called onomatopoeia (ŏn–ō–mah–tō–pē–uh).
Here’s one to try with your student: “What sound does food cooking in a frying pan make? Did you make a hissing sound with lots of s’s and z’s? That’s because the food sizzles!”
Onomatopoeia is more common than you might think, and we teach it beginning in Level 1 of the All About Reading program. In fact, English contains so many of these words that it can be easy to overlook that everyday words like splash, knock, buzz, and clap are all examples of onomatopoeia.
Have some fun by trying these other examples with your student.
“What does a cow say?”
(Student makes a mooing sound.)
“Great! Now can you say that like a cow?”
Moo!
“What does a frog say?”
(Student makes a ribbit sound.)
“Can you say that like a frog?”
Ribbit!
“What does a car engine sound like?”
(Student makes an engine sound.)
“Now can you say that like a car?”
Vroom!
Onomatopoeia can be a lot of fun, but it can also be tricky for students to read these words if they’re not familiar with them. Take a look at how we teach onomatopoeia in the All About Reading program to get some extra practice! As you read the stories included below, have your student circle any examples of onomatopoeia they come across.
Learn the sounds of the circus with this story and activity from All About Reading Level 1.
AAR Level 1 introduces onomatopoeia in Lesson 27 with an activity called “Swish and Flip!” Many of the words introduced here are encountered in “The Big Top” and subsequent stories.
Download Level 1 Onomatopoeia Activity “Swish and Flip!”
Download Level 1 Story: “The Big Top”
Learn how a girl and her pony take care of each other with this story and activity from All About Reading Level 2.
Students are exposed to more examples of onomatopoeia in an activity from Lesson 24 called “Clip, Clop, Crack!” Many of the words introduced here are encountered in a short story called “Champ.”
Download Level 2 Onomatopoeia Activity “Clip, Clop, Crack!”
Download Level 2 Story: “Champ”
If you had fun learning about onomatopoeia, then you’ll love our other Fun with Words posts! Here are a couple of our favorites:
I won’t beat around the bush—this blog post about teaching idioms takes the cake!
Introduce your student to portmanteaus and open up a whole new world of fun with words!
Now that we’ve learned all about onomatopoeia and how to spot these fun words, please share your favorites in the comments below!
Erin
says:I learn something new everyday. My kids would have fun with these activities!
Kristen B
says:Such a fun word! The resource shown looks great.:-)
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThanks, Kristen!
Ashley Little
says:Looks amazing! I absolutely love how this is laid out for children to learn!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Ashley!
Christine
says:This looks great! Can’t wait until my kids get to these since they are fun to teach!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceChristine,
Oh, yes! Onomatopoeia’s are so much fun!
Aleka
says:These are so fun, my kids love them!!
Brittney
says:I love that AAR doesn’t leave any gaps in teaching children to read and covers it in an approachable way!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Brittney!
Monica Baker
says:Love to try your pre reading curriculum.
Ashley Ramon
says:So excited about starting next week with my daughter!
Merry
says: Customer ServiceOH how fun! I hope you have a great start to your homeschool year! :-)
Kara
says:These are super fun!!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYes they are! Thank you, Kara.
Rhonda
says:We had fun with these. Thank you!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceRhonda,
Thank you for letting us know that your enjoyed this! You’re welcome.
Sarah Mesa
says:Love all the info here! Very resourceful!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThanks, Sarah!
Kim
says:I just learned what this was with my son not too long ago!
Laura
says:This is great!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThanks, Laura!
Katie
says:My son learned about onomatopoeia words in Level 2 this year and now he points them out by himself all the time! AAR does a great job introducing this concept and making it fun.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Katie. I love that your son enjoys pointing out onomatopoeias!
Angela Bennett
says:My son loves reading onomatopoeia words!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceOnomatopoeia words are so much fun!
Jenn
says:AAR Level 1 is our top contender at the moment for our next school year. Thanks for the glimpse! I could see both of my girls thoroughly enjoying this.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceJenn,
I’m glad this glimpse of All About Reading was helpful! You can also find multiple full lessons of each level in our All About Reading Samples.
Beth
says:I love idioms.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceWe do too, Beth!
Carrie
says:My daughter and I enjoyed going through the Level 1 Onomatopoeia activity. Thank you!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Carrie! Great to hear you and your daughter enjoyed it!
Rachel
says:My 2 year old loved to meow when we did this lesson with my Kindergartner!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceRachel,
How cute! I love that your toddler could join in on the lesson!
Katherine
says:So interesting!
Sara Wilke
says:My kids have loved learning about onomatopeias! AAR does a great job with teaching it in a fun and easy to understand way.
Isabel
says:I have never heard of Onomatopoeia before until teaching my children with this amazing curriculum. LOVE IT.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGreat to hear you are learning new things along with your children, Isabel!
Linda Torres
says:So interesting! Honestly I have never heard of onomatopoeia. I love that the all about learning resources are so thorough.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Linda!
Willow
says:The best thing about this curriculum is the constantly updating site with activities and information to make it easier.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Willow!
Noreen
says:Great resources, thanks!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Noreen!
Shilo
says:Looks so fun
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Shilo!
Hilllary Rupert
says:Thank you this was so fun for my daughter!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceHillary,
Thank you! It’s great to hear that your daughter enjoyed this!
Shannon A
says:Well, that looks fun! But then i think just saying onomatopoeia is fun.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI agree, Shannon! Onomatopoeia is right up there with parallelogram and antidisestablishmentarianism for being just plain fun to say!
Lisa
says:So fun! Looking forward to getting to this as we’re working through Level 1 now.
Alex P.
says:This program looks like it would be a lot of fun and keep my child’s interest. I can’t wait to use it.