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!
Amy Charpie
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Robin
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Robin
says: Customer ServiceFarah,
I’m glad these resources are helpful! Thank you.
Tabitha
says:AAR really makes learning so enjoyable for the children and easy for the parents. I really love this program and the free helpful tips they provide! I am so grateful for AAR.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceAwww, thank you, Tabitha! It’s so great to hear that All About Reading is helping make learning enjoyable for children and parents!
Tonya
says:A fun word for a fun concept. We are using a couple of other learning options at this time, but this is a fun article with good information.
kanu
says:such a great lesson and amazing downloads. thanks a lot. even i learn a new thing what these sound are called.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Kanu!
Deirdre
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Robin
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Robin
says: Customer ServiceNathan,
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Laura
says:This is a good idea for a diversion lesson! My kids are pretty good readers but they still need instruction and I like the idea of this!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGlad this will be helpful for your kids, Laura!
Lori
says:My students loved creating their own books as they learned idioms. It is very helpful for ELL students.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceWhat a great activity idea, Lori! It reminds me of the book Who Let the Cat Out of the Back written and illustrated by fourth-grade students of Newcastle Avenue Elementary in Reseda, California. It’s a great way to interact with idioms!
Kyra
says:This looks like our next lesson!
Rachel
says:This was such a fun lesson!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGreat to hear, Rachel! Thank you!
Sharicka
says:I cant wait to teach my son these concepts. His reading is improving by leaps and bounds
Robin
says: Customer ServiceIt’s great to hear that your son’s reading is improving, Sharicka! Thank you!
Lora
says:I definitely need to check out the other blogs on teaching idioms and portmanteaus. Sounds fun!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThey are fun, Lora! Especially portmanteaus. Kids love to come up with their own!
Dawn
says:This is a fun unit!!
Liddia
says:Can’t wait to do some of these activities when we get to level 2!
Traci
says:This is one of my favorite units to teach. Thanks for the additional resources.
Katie Norling
says:My son just recently completed the level 2 lesson and loved it!
Ela
says:This looks fun! Can’t wait to try it for my kiddos
Michelle
says:Thanks for always sharing great information my daughter loves this
Dominique D.
says:My oldest son loved learning about these in level 1!
Jamie
says:This is so fun for my daughter. Thank you!!
Elizabeth S
says:These look like fun ways to teach and hope it helps my special needs child understand!
Rayna
says:Honestly these are some of children’s first “words.”
Brittany
says:Onomatopoeia is a fun topic for my kids! Love these ideas!
Rebecca
says:We just went over this in level 1! Such a fun lesson to learn about new types of words.
Maritza Lopez
says:Great activities!
Cynthia
says:This looks fun, one of my kids has been practicing them while making short comic book stories. This would help give him a few more to use
Rene
says:These look so fun !
Billie Carrion
says:Sounds like a good lesson to teach.