[Ph]un Phonological + Phonemic Awareness Activities

Phonological and phonemic awareness — the ability to hear, identify and play with the sounds in words — is a key building block for reading and spelling. The good news is that it can be developed entirely through listening and speaking games. No pencils required!

Sound-play games to try

• Rhyming: think of words that rhyme with 'cat', or spot the odd one out.
• Syllable clapping: clap out the beats in names and favourite words.
• First sounds: 'What sound does ball start with?'
• Sound blending: say the sounds c-a-t and guess the word.
• Sound segmenting: break 'fish' into f-i-sh.
• Sound swapping: change the first sound in 'mat' to make 'sat'.

These skills give children the tools to crack the alphabetic code. Strong phonological awareness in the early years is one of the best predictors of confident reading later on.