Phonic games

Circle swap shop (from els scheme)

It's for children to hear initial sound you need 6 picture cards. two of each initial sound so for example sun, sack, bin, bag, cat, cot deal out the cards and then you say to the children if your card begins with the same sound as ball then stand up...hopefully the children with bin and bag will stand up. you then say circle swap shop and the children have to change places.

The Clap Rap

'Clap clap turnaround Ill show you a letter and you'll tell me its sound'.... you say this altogether clapping and doing actions and then show a child a letter card and they have to say its sound.

'Clap clap think and frown I'll tell you a letter and you'll write it down.'

Children to write down the letter you have said.

Full Circle game

Give each child a whiteboard and get them to draw two or three vertical lines depending on whether you are doing 3 or 4 sounds. Give children a start word for example 'fun' they write it on their boards one sound in each section ask them to chanage the word to 'bun' by only changing one letter then change it to but, bat, bad,sad,sat,sit,fit,fin,fun when they get back to fun then and when it is written, they have put their lids on their pens and put their pens down they have to shout full circle. First one is the winner. You just have to think up lots of cvc or ccvc words that where you change one letter each time and get back to the original.

Initial sounds

Another thing I do for initial sound. I downloaded a free balloon alphabet. I have target sounds on the wall. A bag of the ELS pictures by the side First job is sorting the pictures and putting them under the correct balloon. With my sen they do this every single session, I change sounds and pictures. After 10 sessions they can do it super fast now and every single child can hear initial sound now.

Simple bingo

Make a set of cards with a target sound. For example oi/oy sound. The children practise reading them and then they choose 4 each. Give each child a whiteboard and pen and they draw a cross. They write each word in each box then give me the cards. We then play bingo.

CVC picture card games

I use my els picture cards a lot. I pick out the cvc words and write the word on the back of the card. Children choose a card and read it. They then check by turning the card over. If they are right they keep it. For segmenting I give them the picture, I don't say the word so they have to say the word and then write it. Children tend to rely on hearing us say the words slowly and deliberately so they can hear the sounds. They need to learn to do it themselves. When they have written the word they can then turn over to check they have written it right. I also give each child a separate card so they are all writing a different word (helps with the copying that goes on).

CVC word challenge

Give each child a copy of letters s,a,t,p,i,n and challenge them to make as many words as they can out of these letters.

Letter recognition and hearing inital sound (BLUELIZ)

We play the supermarket game. I made cards with all the letters of the alphabet which are placed face down on the floor. We sit in a circle and take turns choosing a card. They have to think of something they would buy from the supermarket which starts with that sound. They also give it's name which they write on their white board. If correct they keep the card, otherwise they return it. One with most cards wins. For a change we 'visit' the garden centre, zoo or pet shop. Its very popular.

Pairs game to recognise initial sound (62denise)

I play pairs but with picture cards. The pictures can be different but they must start with the same sound.

Reading simple sentences/captions

I wrote captions on a whiteboard and the children had to draw what I had written - A cat on a bed, A doll on a bed, A cat in a hat.

Ideas for practising sound cards

Deal out all the sound cards Then lay them out in front of you. The teacher has to say a sound and if the child has that sound they have to give it to the teacher. The first person to get rid of all their cards is the winner.