Starting Phonics

As Bear would have started FS2 this September, I decided to go in with his official phonics learning. He already knows his alphabet by sounds, and most of their names, so we've gone in with this as a way of learning how to form them properly for writing as well as using them to start blending and making words.

I bought the Learn with Ladybird First Phonics book from work to use as a base, and then intend on creating activities around the sounds from Pinterest and Twinkl etc. The book follows the SATPIN method and I decided to go with three sounds a week, and then a recap after every couple of weeks. So we started with SAT in our first week, read the book and talked through the activities. Used some flash cards that show the correct way to form the letters, and played with magnetic letters and cards to match the sounds to words beginning with the letters.

I also bought a snazzy ink roller that puts the lines on paper to practice writing, and Bear had a go at forming the letters properly, and at a smaller size than he normally writes. He did amazingly well!

We played some games, had a go at writing and did several different activities over the course of the week and then at the end of the week, we revisited the book and filled in the pages, so that I have a physical record of his progress and he practiced writing them again.

The second week, we followed a similar routine for PIN and then in the third week, we covered all six sounds and started using them to form CVC words and blended the sounds to read them. Bear was absolutely fantastic at this and so proud of himself! 

Three weeks in and he is confidently sounding and blending CVC words using the sounds SATPIN to read them. I am so proud of him, never mind him being proud of himself :)

We've done all this with The Cub in tow as he has started to drop his nap, which was when we used to do our intentional learning. He has loved getting involved. Sometimes he's happy to sit and colour, other days he wants to know what we're doing, and has done some matching with the magnetic letters and tracing letters with his fingers.

We will continue to follow this routine while ever it works, and I have no doubts that Bear will be reading in no time :) 

What phonics program have you and your littles used, if you've used one at all...

Mama Bear x