Our Top Tips for Teaching Phonics
We have been asked to write a blog on our top tips for teaching phonics, so we have thought very hard about what we would suggest as our top tips for phonics. Below are our top tips for delivering successful phonics in the early years and key stage 1.
1. Make teaching phonics playful: Vygotsky famously said “In play children are a foot taller than themselves!”. As a company we wholeheartedly believe that is true, we see the capacity (or Zone of Proximal Development) of what children can achieve extended in play and interactions with others. Although, we cannot make phonics play in it is truest form, as play is uninterrupted, child-led and without objectives or outcomes; however, we can make it playful. Use props, toys, games, arts and crafts get creative!
2. Make teaching phonics hands on and interactive: Young children are physical and were not designed to sit still and listen, so make teaching hands on, physical and interactive. Children need to move their bodies when they are learning and to be active participants in the process. Do activities that encourage children to cross the midlines in their bodies, we know that this has been proven to help brain development – so let’s get moving in teaching phonics.
3. Make sure you know how to pronounce the sounds properly: Although this one might sound really obvious the way that children are taught phonics now to the way we learnt as children is probably different and it is important, we learn the sounds right. Otherwise we are going to add confusion or sounds to their writing, for example, common mistakes are things such as ‘s’ is said as ‘sa’ adding the ‘a’ sound to the end, or ‘u’ becomes ‘ur’ or ‘n’ as ‘na’. Which then becomes a problem if children are spelling out word as sun become saurna. There are plenty of youtube videos showing how to correctly pronounce sounds and it is well worth looking and using them as well as sharing these links with parents.
4. Work with parents as partners in learning: Parents are such a valuable asset they are who spend the most time with the children and are there primary educators. So, make sure that you work well with parents, sharing with them what you are doing and learning and how you teach. Things such as doing a parent workshop, inviting them into a phonics session to join in activities, leaflets, home learning phonics bags or sharing videos/activities at home ideas.
5. Use your children’s interests: If you follow you children’s interests and motivations you are far likely to see a higher level of engagement and learning within the activity. For example, if you have a child who is really interested in the fire service then incorporate this into your phonics activities. You could do things such as using a hose to wash of the letters in flames on the fence, or setting up a fire tuff tray and rescuing the magnetic letters from the fire with a magnet.
6. Using rhymes and songs: rhymes and songs are so important when we are teaching phonics, they help children develop those all-important communication and language skills, extending children’s vocabulary, listening skills, awareness of rhyme and rhythm and alliteration.
7. Teach phonics outside not just inside: Phonics does not have to be just inside sat at a table; it doesn’t have to be in the ‘traditional’ box of teaching. There are plenty of opportunities for phonics outside as well as inside. For example, going on letter hunts, mark-making in mud, weaving phonics activities into the mud kitchen and so on; the possibilities are endless.
8. Weave phonics activities throughout your continuous provision: Phonics activities can easily be weaved throughout your continuous provision like all areas of learning children do not learn in isolation all areas are intertwined and interlinked to one another. For example, within your small world area you can set up phonics activities such as cross the river or intertwine that into children’s play. Practice using the sounds you are learning in the mud kitchen to make menus and take orders.
9. Observe your children and monitor engagement: It is really important that we take the time to stand back and observe children and monitor levels of engagement in phonics activities that we have set up. For example, while fishing for letter shells in the water tray, are they children focused and engaged, do they use the activity, how long are they staying at it, are they being extended to say the sounds they find, does an adult need to support the learning intention, is it okay they have taken the activity in their own direction, what learning skills and peer collaboration can we see?
10. Reflect on your environment: I cannot recommend doing this enough it is so important and insightful to practise. I highly recommend doing a tracking observation where you look and see what areas of your environment (I tend to draw a map) children and adults are in at different intervals throughout a session. This will give you insights such as ‘the writing area is never used’ – why is that? Is it inviting? Do you need a writing area? Could it be incorporated into all areas of the environment? Is it what is to offer in that area? Or another example is, ‘tuff tray with mark-making opportunities in coloured sand and letters, used for first five minutes and not used for the rest of session’ – why is that? Was it an engaging activity, did children need an adult to model, did it appeal to the groups interests – would another group of children have of stayed longer? It is really worth doing and will give you lots of valuable insights!
Written by Pauline Milsted
Director at Growing Together