Are you preparing your Reception/ Kindergarten children for their first steps in Phonics teaching? Need some super NEW simple phonics games which get great results?
In this video I show you one easy phonics game which can be used in EYFS / Kindergarten when children are ready to start Phonics. Ideal for teaching phonics to children in Phase 2 of Letters & Sounds and beyond, this versatile and adaptable game can also compliment Jolly Phonics and other approaches really well.
How Visual Memory Games Help Children Learn Phonics
One of the things that’s really crucial to children’s success in phonics is their ability to remember.
Children need to be able to remember :
Letter shapes (graphemes) and letter names
The spoken sounds (phonemes) we say when we see these letters / write these letters in words.
We need to help children to develop good visual discrimination and a really good visual memory.
This is really important for spotting and remembering the differences between letter shapes such as b, d, p, q, as these initially look really similar to a child in the early stages of reading.
We also need to help children to develop good auditory discrimination and auditory memory.
This involves spotting the difference and remembering sequences of spoken sounds in order.
These are crucial to building confidence and success, even from reading the simplest of words like is, it and on.
This super simple, quick to prepare, Missing Words Game will help your children develop these key memory skills FAST!
Hide The Words Game – Reception / Year 1
What You Need
Selected words including the focus phoneme / tricky words. You could use printed cards with sound buttons or handwritten words on post it notes or Download some FREE Missing Words PPT Slides now
A whiteboard, pen and rubber for each child- this could also be completed in a workbook if preferred.
What To Do
Show the children the words for the game, saying each of the separate phonemes (sounds) then blending them back together to read each word. Expect the children to join in all together.
Repeat read all of the words a number of times to help the children remember them.
Explain that you are going to perform some ‘magic’ by making one of the words disappear.
Remind the children that this is a memory game, so they will need to look very closely and concentrate to remember the words.
Ask the children to close their eyes then say some magic words all together. As the children are doing this, remove a word from the set or move on to the next slide where a word will be missing.
Ask the children to open their eyes to reveal the remaining words. Chant the remaining words all together to work out which is missing. Can the children work out which it is?
Choose somebody to offer an idea.
Orally segment the missing word all together, following the whole school procedure.
This may include strategies such as robot arms or phoneme fingers.
Expect the children to have a go at writing the missing word from memory. Support the children by showing them the phonemes they will need, using a resource which follows the whole school approach. This might include a frieze or letter cards.
Correct letter formation / errors made with appropriately high expectations, particularly looking out for letter reversals.
Deliver a big ‘reveal’. This will enable the children to independently check the word written against the original model.
Repeat the process with further words
Don’t forget ….. you can download this game here FREE to get started straight away : )
Looking for EVEN MORE brand New Letters and Sounds phonics activities and games and planning?
