6 Ways to Have Fun with Phonics in EYFS
Practising letter sounds needn’t be as dull as dishwater, says Hilary White…
- by Hilary White
1. Buzzy bees
Make a list of sounds that link with an animal, vehicle or action when repeated.
For example, zzz-zzz for buzzy bees, sh-sh-sh for soothing a baby, sss-sss for a hissing snake, d-d-d for hammering, u-u-u for tugging a heavy trolley, a-a-a for ticking someone off, rrr-rrr for a roaring motorbike, ch-ch-ch for a chugging train, ee-ee-ee for a mouse, and mmm-mmm for a gurgling baby.
Practise the sounds and explore ways of role playing the action, animal or vehicle. Encourage the children to come up with their own ideas for actions. Can they think of any other scenarios to link with a particular sound?
2. Jolly jumps
Make up a selection of alliterative phrases that include a simple action. For example, “do a jolly jump”, “run round the rug”, “hop happily”, “sip steaming soup”.
Identify the alliterative initial sound (‘j’, ‘r’, ‘h’, ‘s’) and emphasise the sound as you say the phrase. Encourage the children to repeat the phrase before carrying out the action.
Introduce alliterative phrases that include names of children in the group – “kiss Katie”, “hug Harry”, “tap Tomas” (first asking their permission!) Where necessary, choose action words that children can carry out themselves – “grumbling Gregor”, “rolling Rashid”, “stamping Stevie”.
3. The sound box
Fill an attractive lidded box with interesting items and pictures covering the sounds you wish to explore. Some possibilities include items with the same initial sound, a selection of items for sorting into separate sounds and picture cards for matching sounds (‘chair/cheese’).
Talk about the items, name them and identify their initial sounds before using them for ‘I Spy’, pairing and sorting activities. With older children who are adept at identifying initial sounds, use carefully chosen items to introduce end sounds; for example, ‘pig’ ends with a ‘g’ sound.
You can also add letter cards for children to match with the sounds.
4. Sandpit sounds
Bury a collection of items in the sandbox and challenge the children to dig them up. Encourage the children to explore the items, and during conversation identify each item’s initial sound.
Theme the items to fit in with a specific topic, or make a random collection. You can also focus on particular sounds and ask children to help you sort the items into sound groups.
Encourage older children to identify the sounds for themselves and find their own items to bury. Remember to identify the initial sound rather than letter – for example, ‘ship’ begins with the sound ‘sh’ rather than the letter ‘s’.
5. Tongue tasters
Gather a selection of foods beginning with sounds you want to explore; for example, apple, cheese, carrot, ham, bun, muffin. Name the foods, put one or two on the table and say, “I taste with my little tongue, something beginning with…”
Let the children taste the chosen food, and encourage them to repeat its name, emphasising the initial sound. Always check first for allergies, and never force an unwilling child to taste a food.
As the children become more able to identify initial sounds, follow the traditional ‘I spy’ format by increasing the number of foods to choose from.
6. Sound hunts
Hide items from the sound box in the setting and ask children to hunt for an item beginning with a given sound. Give them a clue by telling them which area to look in, for example, the cloakroom.
Once they have started to link sounds and letters, give them a letter card as a prompt. As they bring back items they have found, help them to put the items into sound pairs or sort into sound groups.
If necessary, ask other adults in the setting to accompany children and help them remember the sound they are hunting for.
Hilary White is a former nursery and primary teacher. As an author she has written a number of books and contributed to a range of magazines.
