It’s time for another entry in our second grade activity series!
This week, we’re talking about how to help second graders count and identify syllables in common words.
In second grade, we tend to start helping students read slightly longer words. And that’s when it’s good to start sounding out syllables.
To add a fun fall theme to this concept, we’re sharing a fun Scarecrow Syllables for Second Grade activity!

This printable activity is an excellent literacy builder for early elementary students!
And, depending on your students’ vocabulary skills, it may even be useful in third grade classes as well.
And for more early elementary learning, take a look at our Superhero States of Matter Science Lesson! It’s an excellent and easy hands-on science lab for early grades.

How to Teach Syllables in Early Grades
With our second grader, we use the typical “clap it out” method to count syllables.
So we’ll have him say a word and then for each sound he hears, he claps his hands.
For example, when he says the word “amazing”, he’ll end up clapping three times: A-MAZ-ING.
That helps him see that there are three syllables in the word.

Before we got started with the lesson, I asked my second grader if he knew what syllables were.
His response: “Oh yeah, I learned that in school.”
Me: “Really? What are they?”
Him: “They’re all the letters in a word.”

He was really serious about that explanation.
After we talked about what syllables really were, we tried matching up the words with the right number of scarecrows.

The “clap it out” method worked beautifully!

Scarecrow Syllables for Second Grade Activity
To use this printable scarecrow syllables for second grade activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
- Printer (with ink)
- Printer Paper
- Pencils
- Laminator (optional)
- Dry erase markers (optional)

This printable language arts lesson includes:
- Three color scarecrow syllable counting worksheets
- Three line art scarecrow syllable counting worksheets
- A full answer key
- And a set of instructions!

Kids can sound out the words and count the syllables in each word.
There are one-syllable words, two-syllable words, and three-syllable words on each page.
Then students can draw lines to match the words with the correct number of scarecrows to show the right number of syllables.

Turn this into a reusable activity by printing the pages half size and then laminating them.
Students can practice completing them with dry erase markers at centers!
See this product in action in the video below!
Looking for more early elementary learning printables? Don’t miss these!




To get your copy of our Scarecrow Syllables ELA Lesson, click the image or the link below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

>>> Scarecrow Syllables ELA Activity <<<
Check out the other scarecrow-themed posts from the 2nd Grade Blogging Team!
Free Scarecrow Expanded Form Memory Game from Life Over C’s
Make a Scarecrow Literacy Game from Planet Smarty Pants
Scarecrow Measures from Crafty Kids at Home
Scarecrow Silhouette Art Project from School Time Snippets
Scarecrow Compound Word Match Game from Creative Family Fun
Scarecrow Place Value Math from Sugar Aunts
Scarecrow Craft with Landscape from Sallie Borrink Learning
[…] Scarecrow Expanded Form Memory Game from Life Over C’s Scarecrow Syllables for Second Grade from Look! We’re Learning! Make a Scarecrow Literacy Game from Planet Smarty Pants Scarecrow […]