What are initial sounds?
Look at these words. The first letter is the initial sound. When you say each word, your mouth, teeth and tongue move into position to make the initial sound.
cat man danger house zebra light
We don't stop to think about it as it happens instinctively. Learning to read through phonics means becoming aware of the sounds that make words.
In order to learn to read and spell with phonics, a child first needs to learn the sounds for which the letters of the alphabet stand for and which can be heard at the beginning of words - the initial sounds. Having learnt to read with phonics, children will eventually be able to read many words that they have never seen before, by themselves. Teaching by phonics is a powerful method! It creates readers. No wonder it has not been liked by many progressives through the years! Take care when teaching initial sounds
It is very important that care is taken to teach this stage well, as it is the foundation for the development of all future reading and spelling.
Three things are necessary when teaching a child the initial sounds:
If any of these three are neglected, or only partially taught, then the child will not make progress. Despite this seeming very simple, many teachers and parents go wrong at this point. Many children fail to learn the sounds that each letter stand for sufficiently well to be able to recall them instantly. Others learn the sounds the letters stand for, but do not hear them at the beginning of words. These children can then appear to be in need of catch up work - when the truth is they were not taught properly to start with. First, make sure that you yourself know the initial sounds.How to teach initial sounds
Progress is quickest when the above three aspects are taught hand in hand together.
As a sound is learnt the child can be taught to apply his/her knowledge to find things that begin with that sound. If the child is also taught to write the letter, this further reinforces his/her knowledge and helps to develop spelling skills as well. It is best is, once you have decided that your child is ready to start learning to read, to keep the momentum going by teaching one new sound a day, five days a week. Follow this simple procedure. You will need:
You can also use our video (below) which provides pictures for each letter of the alphabet and is phonetically correct. Pause the video on a sound. You can use it to say the alphabet rhyme each day too (see below).
1. Introduce the new sound on a flashcard, or in an alphabet book. Tell your child:
This is the letter '_' and it makes the sound '_'.
2. Then look and see how many things on the 'a' page begin with that sound (or if using flashcards, how many things you can think of between you beginning with that sound).
To begin with you will have to help – if not tell - your child which words begin with the given sound. Emphasise the first sound as you say a word.
Here is an apple. Apple begins with ă' (sound not name). ' a..a.....a...apple. ' 'Here is an arrow, a..a...arrow'. 'What can you see that starts with 'a'?' a...a.............. See if the pupil can fill in the blank with a word beginning with the sound 'a'. If the pupil says another word, not starting with 'a', say: 'Yes, I can see a house too, but listen...hhhhhouse. Does 'hhhouse start with 'aaaaa'? No it doesn't. Listen, aaaaapple, aaanchor. Here's a word. (Point to another picture starting with 'a'). What's this? Child: 'ant' Teacher: 'Yes!' aaant starts with 'a'. Some children will sit for a while happy to look, others will be eager to go! Either way, keep the session short. We don't expect pupils to grasp this in one lesson. What must happen is that the pupil starts to learn that this symbol stands for the sound 'a' and some words begin with that sound. Watch for signs that the child is beginning to hear the intial sound for him/herself. Optional: Jolly Phonics assigns an action to the sound which many children find helpful. You don't need to use the same actions as Jolly Phonics to do this; simply find a word that is meaningful to your student that can be mimed and make the action along with saying the alphabet sounds. My class used to mime eating an apple, or making an ant crawl up their arms. They would pretend to bounce a ball for 'b', drive a car for 'c' and so on. If you wish to use the Jolly Phonics actions you can find them free here.
PLUS - every day say the alphabet rhyme
Practice the sounds already taught by saying the Alphabet Rhyme before you teach the new sound. Go through the flashcards of the initial sounds taught and say the alphabet rhyme, stopping at the letter that was last taught, ready to learn a new one. So: Day 2: Show the 'a' flashcard: Together say: Ay says 'a'. And then learn about the sound 'b'. Day 3: Show the 'a' flashcard and together say: Ay says 'a'. Show the 'b' flashcard and say together: Bee says 'b' - and then learn about the sound 'c'. Day 4: As before: Ay says 'a', Bee says 'b', See says 'c' - and then learn about the sound 'd'. And so on, adding a new card each day until you are saying it all the way to 'z'! This repetition is vital to the success of the programme. Continue to recite the Alphabet Rhyme in this way while the knowledge is cemented and until you are sure the pupil can give you the correct letter for any sound you make, or tell you which sound each letter stands for.
Then:
1. Throughout the day keep emphasising ‘AY says 'a'. Encourage the pupil to finish the sentence: ’AY says…?’ Say it for the pupil if s/he can’t remember. Encourage your child to look for things around the house that start with each day’s sound. It is a good idea if you can be constantly emphasising the first sound of words at suitable moments. Here are some ideas: ‘Where is your bbball? ‘Are you playing with your dddoll?’ 'Time for bbbbed!' 'Where is your ccccup?' 2. When you see words around and about, point to the first letter of the word (if it says the right sound, e.g not 'c' for 'circle') and say (for example) : 'Look, 't' for tomato.' This will help to train the child's ear to hear initial sounds.
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Assessment is the key
a) the child is beginning to learn which letter stands for which sound
b) the child is hearing sounds at the beginning of words
Then do whatever is necessary to help the child grasp the bits s/he is having trouble with. There is a useful video here explaining how to help children who have trouble hearing initial sounds of words.
For example, if it is a particular sound, then focus on that sound. Paint it, draw it in the sand, pin it up around the house/classroom and make frequent reference to it. Use your imagination and think what will help THIS child to get this point.
**Do not try to teach the child to blend cvc words until you are sure s/he is hearing the initial sounds of words.** Otherwise you will risk confusing the child and stalling progress.
Go at the child's pace, not the pace of a 'curriculum'.
www.readingmadesimple.weebly.com
Our programme can be tailor fitted to any child. You are in control of how fast or slow you go and how you teach. We give guidance, but remember - when teaching phonics you need to fit the programme to the child, not the child to the programme.
Find a way of helping the child to reach the goals.
We help you to do just that - succeeding where others fail.
This first book is to help teach the initial sounds of the letters of the alphabet.
First, make sure that you yourself know the initial sounds.
What to do:
The child has to simply say the sound at the top of the page, and then colour the objects that begin with that sound.
You will find that on each page there is an 'odd one out'. this object should not be coloured.
Having done that, the sound that each object begins with should be carefully written on the line under each picture. Except on the letter 'a' page, the child should also write the sound of the 'odd on out' as this will have been learnt in the previous lesson. This acts as revision.
Teaching tips:
- Give the child a suitably sized pencil for little hands - this big chunky one does the job well.
- Seat the child at a table that is the right height for him/her. A table too high or too low will not help the child to write well.
This works well alongside Phonic Workbook 1.
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And our jigsaw puzzle?
Have you seen these other FREE downloads to help you teach the initial sounds?
Teachers - check out our comprehensive collection of games and worksheets to support phonic teaching and learning!
All at a low price.
Download the Phonic Book 1 for FREE here
A poster and a place mat
Then print off another mat in card and laminate it, or cover it with tacky back plastic. This can be used at mealtimes.
Make sure you know the initial sounds yourself, first.
Make mealtimes learning times
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Alphabet games to play around the house/classroom:
- "Can you find something that begins with 's'?"
- "Can you point to the letter that says 'b'?"
- "Find me the letter that says 'f' and find the picture that begins with 'f'."
Other things to try:
- At the same time, some magnetic letters on the fridge door would be great to give them something physical to hold.
- You can make letters out of plasticine.
- Have a letter of the day and look out for things that begin with that sound. Keep the focus on the letter sound as the most important thing as you want to train the child's ears to ear the sounds they make when they speak. This is key to helping them later to blend sounds to read and segment words to spell. Display your letter and talk about it's name and sound at the start of the day then...
- Look for your letter everywhere - in the shops, in books, on packets, car number plates and so on.
Speech
Teachers
See our comprehensive range of resources to help teach initial sounds - all for a low price:
Other great FREE resources you might like!
See our FREE inital sounds games collection HERE.
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Download your FREE Alphabet Place Mat
There are two files here for FREE download.
As with all our games, they suit all ages, including older special needs children and adults and ESL learners.
Easy to make...
The games come with instructions as to how to put them together and how to play them. They are easy to play, being simple matching games. Start by downloading the file and saving it into a safe place. Then print the relevant pages. Printing on card will help the game to last longer. The download provides everything you need.
Fun to play...
Always choose a time when your child is relaxed and calm. Mornings are good. Make sure you have fifteen minutes of uninterrupted time - no phones or TVs on. Give your child your undivided attention throughout the time it takes to complete the activity. If you sense after starting that your child is not in the best frame of mind after all, then just show them the game, maybe just demonstrate how to match a few pictures. If they are still not interested, leave it for another time. Remain enthusiastic. Most children enjoy their parent's attention and the feeling of success they have playing the games.
An idea...
Older children in particular sometimes like to make these games feel like proper games with a dice. This is easy to do: simply buy a pack of blank die (see below) and permanent markers in two colours. Label three sides 'go' in one colour and three sides 'stop' in another. Then each player shakes the die before their turn and takes a picture/letter if the die says 'go' and miss a turn if it rolls 'stop'.
Use a printer to print them out on card.
Store them in plastic wallets so that you don't lose any pieces.
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Other related posts with FREE downloads that you may like!
Other low-priced resources you might be interested in!
Download the FREE Alphabet Games Pack
Click on picture
Today I have some more Free games for you to download and print! This time, I am adding some more alphabet games as I know that children need more help in these early days of learning to read and spell. As with all my games, you just have to download and print and then cut out the necessary parts and you are ready to play. Occasionally a small box/bag is needed too - nothing elaborate, anything will do!
I like to keep my games safe and all the cards together in aplastic wallet.
First learn the initial sounds yourself.
I spy something beginning with 'b'. Can you see something that begins with 'b'? 'Look, I can see a 'bbbball'.
I can see a 'sss' on this packet. Can you see the letter that says 'ssss'?
I will pin an alphabet frieze on the wall for casual reference and games like 'Can you find the letter that begins the word 'frog'? Listen 'fffffrog'.
I will buy an alphabet puzzle once all the letters are learnt, to give practice in ordering the alphabet and reinforcing knowledge of the letter sounds.
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b/d Game
If you are teaching these letters for the first time, keep them apart as much as possible and do not draw attentino to their similarities. Make sure that the child learns to write each letter as they learn its sound. Pay attention to the formation of the letter: 'b' starts with a 'bat' to hit a ball the way we read, 'd' goes round like an 'a' and up and down.
In the box Game
Vowel Games
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Match it!
My last game is called 'Match it!' as that is basically what it is, a matching game! However, it is not just one game, but two, both on different levels. To start with it's for learning initial sounds, and then the same baseboards can be used once the child has learnt to blend cvc word (three letter words with a short vowel sound). |
less clutter on your computer, no losing games.
Download your Phonic games here:
Welcome
Hello, I'm Lilibette, qualified teacher (B.Ed Hons). I have taught phonics in mainstream education, followed by have home-educated my two sons to 18, and am now a private tutor.
Reading Made Simple (a completely free systematic phonic reading programme) and Sound-it-out are the results!
I aim to bring advice and resources aimed at enabling parents and teachers to EASILY teach phonics effectively. That is: to help children become life-long readers, forming a bedrock on which all further education can be built. My mother helps to draw the pictures and between us we have many years experience of teaching KS1, special needs and ESL. We hope you enjoy browsing our site!
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