In today's primary grades, school districts are focused on having students reading on grade level by the end of the school year. To help support this goal, there are a range of strategies school districts use to attempt to meet this goal. These strategies may not promote joy in reading instruction. Primary grade teachers want students to fall in love with reading. Students can fall in love with reading and make academic advances when the instruction provided is both fun and engaging. Students will never be bored in school or fall behind if they have opportunities to participate in highly engaging lessons that promote reading skills and their playful mindset. Phonological awareness is one of the earliest reading skills students develop. There are a range of ways to make the six subcategories of phonological awareness fun and engaging to young learners. This article explores a second-year teacher's experience teaching phonological awareness and strategies to promote reading skills, engagement, and joy in primary classrooms.