Snakes

I cannot take credit for thinking up this game because I saw something similar posted but the words were too difficult for the little one I am thinking would love this.

Print onto card and cut up or laminate then cut up. Lay all the cards face down and the child picks a card and reads it. If correct they keep the card. The aim of the game is to make up as many snakes as possible. The person who does at the end of the game is the winner.

Download: Snakes

SATPIN Phonics booklet - 40 pages

This booklet will take children through the first 6 sounds of phase 2. They will learn to recognise them, write them, read them, hear the first sound and blend them. Booklet in black and white to take into account printing costs and also to allow the children to colour themselves. There are some fab monsters!
Download: Phonics Booklet

Can you make a real word (or alien word)

This is a fab little activity/game for helping children to practise blending.

Phase 2 /i/
Phase 2 /o/
Phase 2 /u/
Phase 2 /e/
Phase 2 /a/

Phase 3 consonant digraphs

•Laminate and cut out the letters.

•Deal the cards between two players.

•Ask the child to pick a card.

•Read the sound then look at the first box on the game board. Does it make a real word or an alien word? Encourage the use of the sound buttons. If it makes an alien word (nonsense) word then they can place it on the board. If it makes a real word then the word goes to the bottom of their pile.

•The next person picks a card and tries to place it on the next available box. Continue until all the boxes are filled and someone reaches the finish box.

•The person with the least cards left is the winner.

I have done two different games - one making alien words(much easier) and one making real words. You can obviously do either on any of the boards.

I played this game with one of my children and it worked brilliantly. It gave LOTS of blending practice which was the intention and also lots of discussion on real words and nonsense words.

Name the Alien (Phase 5)

This is a big pack of resources for the following activity and is available to purchase for £1 from my ELSA website if you are interested. Name the Alien Resource

Here is how you can use this resource and I must say it worked brilliantly with a child I am working with who tends to guess at words and doesn't apply her phonics to blend. She was very motivated to make as many different names for the alien as possible.

First of all I introduced the Alien and told her he came from the planet /ay/. We repeated the sound and I asked the child to write the sound on a whiteboard so she could remember it. I then told her that she had a challenge to name him. He didn't have a name and she had to make a name for him. I asked her to cut out the cards. Lots of scissor practise to help motor skills needed here. I then asked her to read all the sounds to me to ensure she knew them all. She remembered the /ay/ sound. I told her that we had to have the /ay/ sound in his name because he was from the planet /ay/.
I then showed her the phoneme frame and told her that if she needed to press the sound buttons she could. I told her to rearrange the sounds in the boxes to make the names. She LOVED this and made loads of names, constantly blending over and over again using that /ay/ sound. Everytime she made a new name I asked her to write it on her sheet (see below). This reinforced the /ay/ sound and also segmenting skills. She wanted to make a HUNDRED but unfortunately time was an issue so I stopped her when she had done a reasonable amount. I then asked her to choose her favourite name. Again she blended and read every name that she had written to choose her favourite which was Zzayn.

To extend this activity further the child could describe their alien using adjectives and then write a few sentences about him.

Race to the top of the Rocket

Similar to the race to the top of the castle resource. All you need is a die and two pegs. Print and laminate the sheet. Place both pegs at the bottom, one at each side. Throw the die and move that number of places upwards. Read the word. If correct the child moves their peg there. Who can reach the top first? You have to throw the right number on the die to finish.

Download: Race to the top of the Rocket

Race to the top of the castle

All you need is a die and two pegs. Print and laminate the sheet. Place both pegs at the bottom, one at each side. Throw the die and move that number of places upwards. Read the word. If correct the child moves their peg there. Who can reach the top first? You have to throw the right number on the die to finish.

Download: Race to the top of the castle 

Spin, read and write

I have just made this to use for all the children I tutor. Print onto A3, laminate and pop a spinner into the wheel. You can buy these from Amazon or just use a pencil and a paper clip spinner. Using a whiteboard pen write the focus sounds or words on the spinner. Each child has a different coloured whiteboard pen and they take it in turns to spin the wheel, read the word and then write the word on the grid. The aim of the game is for them to get three words in a row either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

You can work on different phases, different sounds, words using a focus sound, cvc words or even tricky words. Children get practice at reading, and writing (insist on correct letter formation).
Download: Spin, read and write

Find the treasure

Treasure as in REAL words. Each child throws a die. Move that number of places and read the word. If it is real they get a counter. If it is an alien word they don't get anything. The person who has the most counters at the end of the game is the winner.

Download: Find the treasure

Name the Alien

This is a phoneme frame with 3 sounds. The child must cut out the sounds from the second sheet and make different names. When they find one they like they have 'Named the Alien'.

Download: Name the Alien

Real or Alien - cut and stick

The child must cut out the words and sort them between real words and alien words.
Download: Real or Alien

Alien game

These game cover all the phase 5 sounds except u-e. The maths just wouldn't work out to make all the sounds.

All you need is a die and some counters (2 colours, each person has a different colour). Take in turns to throw the die, read the corresponding sound and then find a word with that sound. Read the word and then cover with your counter. If all the words are gone then you miss a turn. At the end of the game the person with the most counters on their board wins.

Download: Alien game
Download: Alien game 2
Download: Alien game 3

What's the Alien's name?

This activity is to help a child to blend using phase 5 phonics. This first sheet is just for the /ay/ sound. The child must make up as many names for the alien that they can using the grid. They MUST put the /ay/ sound in each name. They must then choose their favourite name for the alien.

Download: What's the alien's name?

Board games

Download from here Phonics games

Read it, say it, make it, write it

This sheet is to help those children who learn in a more kinesthetic way.

Click here to download Read it, say it, make it and write it