The Benefits of Reading

One of the easiest and often most overlooked aspects of child development is simply just taking the time to sit and read together; the emphasis lying with the word “together”. Reading should be a shared experience and not just one way. When we say one way we mean either by the parent reading and the…

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Phonics Teaching Games : Caption Match

A nice reading activity that can be played independently or as part of a lesson led by the teacher. Children are asked to read the captions and find the accompanying picture. An element of competition could be introduced whereby two teams race to find the matching pairs. Word and caption matches can be found online…

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Reading With Bingo

This is a fun activity that the kids absolutely love to play and it is so simple. Simply print off a template with however many sections you want. If you have access to a laminating machine, it helps to laminate them and use a whiteboard marker that can easily be rubbed off. If you have…

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Phonics Teaching Games : Phon-Egg Surprise

Phon-Egg Surprise Using plastic egg resources, sounds or  words are placed inside. The eggs are then hidden around the setting for the children to find.   This is a great stimulus to start the lesson, with excitement being generated from the egg hunt. Small toys and treats can also be put in some of the…

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Phonics Teaching Games : Musical Phonics

Musical Phonics A classroom favourite and great for a starter or main activity. The children all have whiteboards and pens set out at their tables ready to write. Music is played and whilst it is playing the children have to dance on the carpet / play area. As soon as the music stops the teacher…

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Phonics Teaching Games : Run to the Board

This activity is definitely suited to the outdoor area as it involves running. Its really very simple and just a different take on a typical classroom writing activity in phonics. It works well for tricky words as the teacher lets the children read and remember the word at one end of the playground and the children…

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Phonics Teaching Games : Phonics Raceway

Phonics Raceway An outright favourite with our kids. It is a little resource-heavy for the teachers but it is worth the effort.  The children drive their cars around the playground (or racetrack if you have one in your setting) and need to stop at every signpost to read a word. It can be played in…

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Phonics Teaching Games : Focus on Phonics

Focus On Phonics This activity could be classroom based but for best results take the children outside as it adds to the adventure. The children are all armed with magnifying glasses (child-friendly of course) and they hunt around the play area of garden for word cards to read to the teacher. If you have a set…

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Phonics Teaching Games : Buried Treasure

Buried Treasure In this activity the children take turns to read sounds or words from the pirate’s coins. It can be played in a couple different ways; 1. Real vs Fake coins. If the children think the word that they read from the coin is real they put it in the Treasure Chest to keep,…

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Benefits of Reading 2- Ideas and Activities

Reading in the womb It is never too early to begin reading to your child. Even reading whilst the child is in the womb has been proven to have significant benefits to their abilities. The University of Florida found that a Foetus between the 28th and 34th weeks of pregnancy could remember familiar nursery rhymes.…

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