A star chart with a space to say what activity you are working on.
Letter rainbow with a second row partly completed.
Set of four letters.
Partial letter rainbow - containing a few letters.
Letter rainbow.
Example of a compliments chart.
A boy along with four smaller pictures/symbols of actions: clapping, turn around, sit, skip.
Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
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Syllable Clapping - A mixture of words/objects containing different amounts of syllables. | 1. Explain to your child that you are going to think about the number of syllables (beats) in words. 2. Say your name. Then repeat your name, but clap each syllable as you say it. 3. Do the same for your child's name. 4. Ask your child to suggest the names of people they know, or objects around them. Clap out the syllables while you say the word together. 5. Move on to using pictures and/or objects. Ask the child to choose a picture and clap out the syllables. You could carry out this task with any turn taking game, i.e. clap out syllables in a word, then have a turn at the game. | If your child is finding this task challenging, work on one and two syllable words first before introducing longer words. If your child is happy for you to do so, you can gently place your hands over theirs to show them when to clap. |
Counting syllables with bricks - A mixture of words/objects containing different amounts of syllables. Printable syllable picture cards are available here - Building bricks - Optional syllable counting strip - print here or you can make your own.
| If your child is finding this task challenging, work on one and two syllable words first before introducing longer words. If your child is happy for you to do so, you can gently place your hands over theirs to show them when to clap. | |
Syllable Puzzle | If your child is finding this task challenging, work on one and two syllable words first before introducing longer words. If your child is happy for you to do so, you can gently place your hands over theirs to show them when to clap. | |
Syllable Sorting - A mixture of words/objects containing different amounts of syllables. | If your child is finding this task challenging, work on one and two syllable words first before introducing longer words. If your child is happy for you to do so, you can gently place your hands over theirs to show them when to clap. |
Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
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'Jenga' 'Jenga' or similar stacking game using wooden blocks. Pictures of words containing the target sound at the appropriate place in the word: these pictures should be stuck on the blocks. | Play Jenga by the normal rules, but as you pull a block out of the stack, say the name of the picture that's on it. You take turns with the child/children - when it's your turn you say the word, when it is the child's turn, they have a go at saying it. | If your child is able to do this activity you might like to try moving on to: saying a small phrase with the target word in, e.g target word = 'car', your phrase could be, 'a red car'. Some phrase level activities can be found by clicking here.
If your child is finding this activity challenging, try the following steps: - If your child finds it challenging to say the sound, praise them for trying and say the word back with the sound used correctly for them to hear. - Talk about the sound the word starts with, e.g. 'cat' starts with a 'c' sound. - Have a go at breaking the word up for the child to copy, e.g. 'let's try and say this together, 'c' 'at'. |
Building play 'Jenga' or other wooden blocks. Pictures of words containing the target sound at the appropriate place in the word: these pictures should be stuck on the blocks. | Build towers, walls and structures with the blocks, saying the name of the picture on the block as you add it. You take turns with the child/children - when it's your turn you say the word, when it is the child's turn, they have a go at saying it. | If your child is able to do this activity you might like to try moving on to: saying a small phrase with the target word in, e.g target word = 'car', your phrase could be, 'a red car'. Some phrase level activities can be found by clicking here.
If your child is finding this activity challenging, try the following steps: - If your child finds it challenging to say the sound, praise them for trying and say the word back with the sound used correctly for them to hear. - Talk about the sound the word starts with, e.g. 'cat' starts with a 'c' sound. - Have a go at breaking the word up for the child to copy, e.g. 'let's try and say this together, 'c' 'at'. |
Domino line 'Jenga' or similar stacking game using wooden blocks. Pictures of words containing the target sound at the appropriate place in the word: these pictures should be stuck on the blocks. | If your child is able to do this activity you might like to try moving on to: saying a small phrase with the target word in, e.g target word = 'car', your phrase could be, 'a red car'. Some phrase level activities can be found by clicking here.
If your child is finding this activity challenging, try the following steps: - If your child finds it challenging to say the sound, praise them for trying and say the word back with the sound used correctly for them to hear. - Talk about the sound the word starts with, e.g. 'cat' starts with a 'c' sound. - Have a go at breaking the word up for the child to copy, e.g. 'let's try and say this together, 'c' 'at'. | |
What's in the bag 'Jenga' or similar stacking game using wooden blocks. Pictures of words containing the target sound at the appropriate place in the word: these pictures should be stuck on the blocks. | If your child is able to do this activity you might like to try moving on to: saying a small phrase with the target word in, e.g target word = 'car', your phrase could be, 'a red car'. Some phrase level activities can be found by clicking here.
If your child is finding this activity challenging, try the following steps: - If your child finds it challenging to say the sound, praise them for trying and say the word back with the sound used correctly for them to hear. - Talk about the sound the word starts with, e.g. 'cat' starts with a 'c' sound. - Have a go at breaking the word up for the child to copy, e.g. 'let's try and say this together, 'c' 'at'. | |
Post the blocks 'Jenga' or similar stacking game using wooden blocks. Pictures of words containing the target sound at the appropriate place in the word: these pictures should be stuck on the blocks. Speech sound pictures can be found by clicking this link Posting box with a wide slot. | If your child is able to do this activity you might like to try moving on to: saying a small phrase with the target word in, e.g target word = 'car', your phrase could be, 'a red car'. Some phrase level activities can be found by clicking here.
If your child is finding this activity challenging, try the following steps: - If your child finds it challenging to say the sound, praise them for trying and say the word back with the sound used correctly for them to hear. - Talk about the sound the word starts with, e.g. 'cat' starts with a 'c' sound. - Have a go at breaking the word up for the child to copy, e.g. 'let's try and say this together, 'c' 'at'. | |
Skittles 'Jenga' or similar stacking game using wooden blocks. Small ball or marble. Pictures of words containing the target sound at the appropriate place in the word: these pictures should be stuck on the blocks. Speech sound pictures can be found by clicking this link
| If your child is able to do this activity you might like to try moving on to: saying a small phrase with the target word in, e.g target word = 'car', your phrase could be, 'a red car'. Some phrase level activities can be found by clicking here.
If your child is finding this activity challenging, try the following steps: - If your child finds it challenging to say the sound, praise them for trying and say the word back with the sound used correctly for them to hear. - Talk about the sound the word starts with, e.g. 'cat' starts with a 'c' sound. - Have a go at breaking the word up for the child to copy, e.g. 'let's try and say this together, 'c' 'at'. |
Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
---|---|---|
Understanding the concepts of noisy/quiet | 1. Before working on the activities below, make sure your child has an understand of the concepts of noisy/quiet. Click on link under materials section for activities relating to these concepts.
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Noisy/Quiet Speech Sounds - printable noisy/quiet symbols - sound picture cards - you may have a set of phonic cards given to you by your speech and language therapist or education setting (e.g. Jolly Phonics, Nuffield Dyspraxia Resources) - Use these resources if you have them. If you do not have a set of phonic resources you can use click here to for a printable resource. - optional - you could use noisy/quiet characters from Mr Men books by Roger Hargreaves. | Once your child is able to recgonise the differene between noisy and quiet sounds you can move on to: 1. Listening to the difference between sounds in words 2. To add link - production of sounds | |
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Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
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Stick it - A piece of paper for each of the blend sounds you are working on, e.g. for 's' blends you would have 'sc/sk' 'sl' 'sm' 'sn' 'sp' 'st' 'sw' - Glue/Blu-tac - Pen/pencil - Feely-bag/ other container - A selection of picture cards with words starting with your target blends/clusters - this will either be 's' blends, 'l' blends or 'r' blends - click here for printable picture cards. | 1. Help the child to write a different sound blend in the centre of each sheet of paper. 2. Put all the pictures in the feely-bag or container. Shake it to mix them up. 3. Ask the child to pull one picture out of the feely-bag. 4. Ask them to say the name of the picture. Give them a clue if they are not sure what the picture shows. Model the correct pronunciation if the child says it wrong. 5. Ask the child to stick the picture on the correct piece of paper according to the blend at the start of the word. (Use Blu-tac if you want to be able to re-use the pictures). 6. Repeat until all the pictures have been used up. | If the child finds it hard to hear the cluster at the start of the word when they say it themselves, you could say it to them. If they still find it hard, say the word with a short break after the cluster, e.g. "sk...irt". If the child mispronounces the word say the word both correctly and the way the child says it, and ask them which is the correct one e.g. "is it 'stooter' or 'scooter'?" |
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