The children have made a wonderful start with their phonics lessons. We have been busy learning lots of new sounds and having a go at using our ‘Fred-talk’ to blend sounds together when reading words. This is Fred (he can’t say words like we can, instead he says the individual sounds in words (c-a-t) and we call this ‘Fred-talk’).
We will be learning new sounds every week, so please do make sure you practise these at home with your child. If you are unsure about how to say any of these sounds, please check this video below. One of the main things to remember is not to drop your jaw when say a sound like m – say mmmmmm, instead of muh. I hope that makes sense!
Whenever we learn a new sound, we learn 3 things: the sound itself, a picture prompt which helps us to put the sound into context and a handwriting saying (linked to the picture prompt) which helps us to remember how to form the letter correctly when writing.
The Read Write Inc flashcards that we use have the letter on one side and the picture prompt on the other. When the children see the letter side, they say the sound. When they see the picture side, they say the picture prompt, e.g. Maisie, mountain, mountain.
This video explains this further and also shows how we use the picture prompt to form the letter correctly. Please note, the picture prompt and handwriting prompt for the letter m is the same.
For the sound a, the picture prompt is ‘a – a – apple’ and the handwriting prompt is ’round the apple, down the leaf’. The sound a is a bouncy sound, while m is a stretchy sound.
For the letter s, the picture prompt is ‘ssssss-snake’ and the handwriting prompt is ‘slither down the snake’. The sound s is a stretchy sound.
For the letter d, the picture prompt is ‘d-d-dinosaur’ and the handwriting prompt is ’round the dinosaur’s bottom, up and down its neck’. The d sound is bouncy.
To help your child practise the sounds, you could play a simple game of memory: use 16 pieces of paper and write the letters on each so you have 4 cards with m on them, 4 with a on them, 4 with s and 4 with d on them. Place them face down on a table and muddle them up. Take turns to turn over two cards at a time. What are the sounds? Are they the same? Keep them if they are the same, turn them back over if not. Carry on until all the cards have been picked up. The winner is the one with the most cards.
Or you could play a sound hunt game – how many things can you find in the house that start with m…or a…or s. If you are in the car, remember ‘I spy’ is always a brilliant way to practice hearing and distinguishing initial sounds in words.
If you have bath crayons, try writing these on the tiles at bath-time and give your child a spray bottle to spray the sounds as they say them. This is also fun in a driveway or on the pavement with chalks.
If your child is already recognising these sounds confidently, why not have a go at writing them correctly.
The picture prompt for t is t-t-tower and t is a bouncy sound. The handwriting prompt is ‘down the tower, across the tower’.
The picture prompt for i is i-i-insect and i is also a bouncy sound. The handwriting prompt is ‘down the insect’s body, dot for its head’.
The picture prompt for p is p-p-pirate and p is a bouncy sound. The handwriting prompt is ‘down the plait, up and round his head’.
The picture prompt for n is nnnnnnet and n is a stretchy sound. The handwriting prompt is ‘down Nobby, up and over the net’.
The picture prompt for g is g-g-girl and g is a bouncy sound. The handwriting prompt is ’round her face, down her hair, give her a curl’.
The picture prompt for o is o-o-orange and o is a bouncy sound too. The handwriting saying is ‘all around the orange’.
The picture prompt for c is c-c-caterpillar and c is also a bouncy sound. The handwriting saying is ‘curl around the caterpillar’.
The picture prompt for k is k-k-kangaroo and k is a bouncy sound. Please note the letters c and k make exactly the same sound. The handwriting saying for k is ‘down the kangaroo’s body, tail and leg’.
Once your child is recognising these single sounds confidently and quickly, you might like to have a go at practising some ‘Fred-talk’ (blending sounds together to make words). Have a look at these sound machines (which the children love!) to get more of an idea.