Magic Paper Towel Art Phonics Activity

Help your little one learn to read with this magic paper towel art phonics activity! Kids will be begging to do their reading when they realise there is a secret picture to be revealed hidden behind each word. This phonics activity can easily be adapted to your child's reading level and it's soooo much fun!

A few weeks ago we shared our magic paper towel art science experiment, we had so much fun with it that we decided to use the same technique to help us with our learning. This fun and easy phonics activity went down so well that my 5 year old has insisted we do it every day!

Using just a few supplies that you will likely already have at home and a bit of time and imagination you can create a fun and memorable phonics activity for any words or sounds you are working on with your child.

For the examples below we focused on the sounds sh, ch, th, ng, but this phonics activity can work for any sounds, you just need to think of some words and pictures to use. You could also adapt the idea for sight words, letters or even numbers.

Magic Paper Towel Art Phonics Activity

Paper Towel Phonics Activity Supplies:

• Paper Towels
• Scissors
• Permanent markers
• Small tray filled with water

This activity works best with permanent markers, but any pens can be used. The colour will bleed from some pens more than others so it's best to test them.

How to set up this paper towel art phonics activity

STEP 1: Prepare paper towels

You will need to prepare this phonics activity ahead of time. Cut a paper towel in half and then fold it in half. You will be writing your chosen word on the top side of the paper towel and then drawing an image on the piece below.

Think of words that use the sounds your child is currently working on and write them clearly in a permanent marker. When drawing the image below be aware of where in the space the word has been written and work your image around it.

Repeat for several words. I can guarantee your little one will love this activity so it's good to have several prepared and ready to go!

STEP 2: Prepare water tray

Set up a shallow tray or plate of water . It needs to be larger than the folded paper towel.

Paper Towel Phonics Activity Directions

Invite your child to read the words you have written on the paper towels using their phonic knowledge. They can then place the paper towel into the water to see if they were correct. As the water is absorbed by the paper towel the image below will appear as if by magic.

This phonics activity can be adapted easily to your child's level. Simplify it by using letters instead of words or make it more difficult by writing a full sentence!

Kids love this activity so much, its so much fun, a really memorable phonics activity that can be repeated again and again. Some children may even enjoy making their own magic paper towel art using words that they are learning to read or spell.

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