Understanding the report targets:
“Hearing the initial sounds in words“: it is essential for reading and writing that children can hear the different sounds that make up a word; we begin this process by listening for the first sound in any given word.
This video is a useful guide to the sounds taught in Nursery: Phonics Song
Children should be able to hear and say the first sound of any given word.
Activity ideas:
* Play I Spy using the sounds the letters make rather than the name of the letter.
* Choose a letter sound and do a treasure hunt around the house to find as many objects as possible with that sound. (Bear in mind that ‘ink’ and ‘ice’, for example, do not start with the same sound!)
Here is a video of some children at Cathedral Primary School saying all 26 single letter sounds correctly:
“Hearing all the sounds in a simple word“: In Nursery we use sound talk to segment the sounds in simple words. Children begin by listening and understanding an adult sound-talking, then practise producing sound talk themselves. Once children can hear and talk in sound talk, they begin to apply this knowledge to reading and writing. Below is a video from last year’s class demonstrating sound talk with ‘robot arms’:
Below are some photos from Curriculum Evening showing how everyday experiences could be used to extend your child’s learning in maths and literacy.
Playing with small world toys such as dinosaurs or trains provides opportunities to develop mathematical language. For example, “two teddies have left the party, how many are left?” “There are usually three of us at dinner, but two friends are coming today. How many plates will we need?” You can begin to introduce mathematical vocabulary such as “add” and “equals” into these conversations, so your child will begin to develop a practical understanding of these concepts.
