How you can help at home

• Practise the sounds that have been taught in class – children might call these sounds phonemes as we encourage the consistent use of the correct terminology. Try to say the sound of the letter, not the letter name. This will help your child to blend words together. E.g. the letter names dee-oh-gee don’t blend together to make ‘dog’.
• Initial letter sound hunt – Say a sound to your child and see if they can find something in their house that starts with that letter. This also works well with ‘I spy’ but remember to use the letter sound and not its name.
• Songs – Sing nursery rhymes and traditional songs with your child.
• Read regularly with your child, encouraging the pleasure of reading within different genres.
• Look for opportunities for your child to enhance their reading skills by alternatives means, such as food packaging, road signs, web pages, posters, magazines and newspapers.