Phonics 101: Fun in a Box

I was trying to think of a fun way to teach Ethan how to sound out words where he felt empowered and there was no sense of failure or exactness he had to achieve certain words. Education is very much about not making your kids feel like failures, but helping them find their own potential. So imagination and creation are essential for them. Combine this idea with Dr. Seuss (who is the king of imagination and made up words) and you get a fun phonics "play" time. Kids get to learn to sound out words and may make up their own too.

Three Dr. Seuss Books to read: (because he is famous for making up words)

• Cat in the Hat (fun in a box idea with "thing 1" and "thing 2")
• Cat in the Hat Comes Back (more "things" are actually letters in this book)
• On Beyond Zebra (idea that you can make up your own letters)

Next we play the game with blocks...like dice. (roll both dice and then place thing one first, followed by thing 2--the dice/blocks are kept in  a box: fun-in-a-box)

• Thing 1: Alphabet blocks--consonants (for picture-sides...have them guess what letter it starts with, then rotate that same dice to that letter and use that for first letter to word you sound out.)
• Thing 2: Phonics blocks (5 homemade word family blocks: one block per vowel)

-------------

Further Info/Resources to help...

Beginner Word Families (for each block I use a different color)

• A: at, ag, an, am, ar, ap
• E: ee, en, ed, et, est, ell
• I: it, in, ig, ick, ill, ip
• O: op, oo, ot, ox, ob, og
• U: ug, um, un, ut, unk, up

Teaching Letter Sounds:

• Vowels: 

1. sing "Where is [vowel]..."
2. teach that vowels are open-mouthed and don't stop air flow. Kids should be able to sing and hold out vowels and know if you are saying a vowel by looking at your mouth if it's open. I sing a little song: A-E-I-O-U up and down a scale so they hear it.

• Consonants

1. Starfall.com (letter sounds are free online, or get the full app for great price. It is fantastic and includes classical music snippets so kids get introduced to pieces early)
2. Endless Alphabet App (and Endless Reader): free for basic use is all I needed, but great price to buy full.
3. Logic of English phonograms: they have an app or flash cards you can buy. Or just look up on their website (free, but jot as convenient). This is a smart way to learn English sounds and real rules!

• Combing it all together:

1. Your Example: Read, read, read to your kids and point to letters and sound them out so they can see an example of how they should read. But don't drill them. Just let them see and hear you as you read to them and they will start trying along with you, hopefully.
2. A Favorite Book: Have a simple-worded book or two they love and can read with you regularly, and that they can access and look to practice when mom isn't around.