7 Phonics Activities for Kids

Helping children to understand and recognise the relationship between letters and sounds is an integral part of learning. Developing a solid knowledge of phonics can be extremely beneficial for speaking, writing and reading – but where to start? To make learning phonics easy, watch the snappy video above and explore 7 fun phonics activities below.   

1. Sensory Phonics Play

Exploring new letter sounds (and remembering them!) can be tricky for younger kids. Bringing a sensory activity to the table may change this. Little ones will love hands-on phonics play such as alphabet sand moulds, which are great for using with play dough or sand to create various letter patterns. Sensory phonics activities are superb for capturing attention, making this activity perfect for early years learning. Watch the video above to see how children could use letter moulds for sensory phonics play.  

2. Phonics Flashcards

Flashcards are a fabulous way to consolidate phonics learning, as children get speedier at noticing different sounds. These textured phonics flashcards feature 40 spelling patterns and area excellent for sensory learning, at home or at school. You can also download free letters and sounds Phase 3 Phonics Flashards that are beautifully designed with engaging illustrations. Simply print these free phonics games and laminate to use again and again. Plus, they can be used at home or in classrooms and are fit for individual or group usage.  

3. Phonics Activities

Phonics activities such as rearranging letters can help children to remember different sounds. Try pairing educational toys such as framed whiteboards with wooden magnetic letters or jumbo lowercase magnetic letters. Children can search for the correct letters and spell the word on their whiteboard. Study the word for up to one minute (sand timer educational toys are perfect for this) and discuss which letters are making the different sounds. Jumble the magnetic letters and ask children to spell the word again. Children can use whiteboard pens to underline different sounds to help them remember where to place the letters.  

4. Phonics Games for Kids

Searching for educational phonics games? Luckily for you, there are heaps of wonderful phonics games for kids! Try educational toys like these colourful Snap-n-Learn Rhyming Pups; not only do they support early word building skills, they also promote fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Orchard Toys phonics games such as Slug in a Jug and Pass the Word encourage recognition of letter patterns, which in turn can boost spelling and reading skills. More phonics games for kids include chunky wooden spelling puzzles, travel-friendly phonics boxes, rainbow phonics dominoes and colour coded phonics cubes.  

5. Phonics Letter Sounds Books

For a more traditional approach, take a look at the following phonics books that promote learning letter sounds. Little ones can practice letter sounds with wipe-clean phonics and sticker books or learn first phonics words with this lovely book. For phonics letter sounds schemes, take a look at WordUnited’s very own Let’s Read series. Beautifully designed with realistic images, easy reading fonts and vibrant colours, kids can progress through each book to learn new phonics skills and letter sounds. Starting with Simple Phonics and finishing with Silent Letters, children will have a sound knowledge of phonics after reading this complete series!  

6. Free Phonics Worksheets

Check out our Free Resources Hub for a wide selection of free printables, displays and worksheets. Covering all areas of the curriculum, every resource can easily be downloaded and printed from any device for free. With new content added weekly, our free resources make a great addition to lessons. For phonics worksheets, try these letter and sounds Phase 3 Phonics Worksheets, where kids can practice learning  the sounds ‘ch’, ‘sh’, ‘th’ and ‘ng’. The brightly coloured illustrations on these worksheets will engage children’s learning and reinforce letters and sounds phase 3 phonics.  

7. Phonics Classroom Kits

Brilliant resource kits such as No Nonsense Phonics Skills are ideal for teachers – they contain 54 pupil books and 9 teacher books, whilst providing a step-by-step logical approach to teaching phonics. Kids will love the videos and phonics games for year 1 and 2. What’s more, each book holds rich content that supports the new curriculum for teaching phonics and spellings in KS1.  

 

Browse more learning resources, educational toys and books at wordunited.com!