The Great Phonics Dig!

So this is a really simple and fun way to help your child practice or start learning letter sounds at home. It can either be used when introducing a sound or to help them practice a sound that they have already learnt.

Set Up

This activity is super simple to set up. I used magnetic letters and sprinkled couscous over them. I added paint brushes and the oyster shells that we had found on a beach recently and it was ready to go! If your child is new to phonics, just choose one sound and hide lots of those letters. That way every time they pull one of those letters out, you can emphasize the sound it makes. If your child is already familiar with a few sounds, put a mix of letters in.

They both got straight to work with the paint brushes; searching for the sounds. M was being extra careful brushing off all the couscous before announcing which sound she had discovered. F was slightly more enthusiastic and far quicker to discover the letters. She also began burying them again. It took them a while before they started how to use the oyster shells. Once they discovered they could use them as a shovel, off they went.

They both enjoyed it. M even, without prompting, started to attempt to create words with the sounds they had discovered. I was very impressed. It also threw up an interesting point that when M discovered the letters, they weren’t necessarily the right way up. This meant that she first had to work out which way round they needed to go, before deciding what sound they were. I have since done this activity with just F and only used the letter ‘m’ as this is a sound she enjoys saying. Each time she discovered one I would say “Look it’s a mmmm” Definitely a nice and easy phonics activity we will be doing again at home. It is great that it works with children who are starting to learn their first sound or those that already know lots of sounds.