Sound Jump
Aim: grapheme identification
Equipment: grapheme cards, - one for each child

Game

• Children sit in circle, give every child a card which is placed on the floor in front of them.

• Each child identifies their phoneme (sound), with help from others if necessary.

• Teacher calls out a phoneme and the child with corresponding grapheme (letter) jumps up quickly

• Meanwhile the rest of the class has to try to point to that grapheme before its owner has jumped up!

Box of sounds
Aim: grapheme & initial sound identification
Equipment: grapheme cards, - one for each child, objects with initial sounds to match cards

Game

• Children sit in circle.

• Look at the objects and identify initial sounds. Place objects in centre of circle.

• Pass a box grapheme cards around the circle singing “Box of sounds, pass it round, pass it round, pass it round. Box of sounds pass it round, what sound is it?” (“London bridge is falling down” tune)

• Child holding box at the end of the song takes out the top card, identifies sound and places it next to corresponding object.

Bag of objects
Aim: grapheme & initial sound identification
Equipment: grapheme cards, objects with initial sounds to match cards, bag for objects

Game

• Children sit in circle.

• Look at grapheme cards, identify sounds and arrange in centre of circle

• Pass a bag of objects around the circle singing “Bag of objects, pass it round, pass it round, pass it round. Bag of objects pass it round, what’s in the bag?” (London bridge is falling down” tune)

• Child holding bag at the end of the song takes out an object, identifies it and it’s initial sound, then places it next to the corresponding card.

Alliteration (initial sound) match 
Aim: grapheme & initial sound identification
Equipment: grapheme cards, - one for each child, alliteration cards

Game

• Children sit in circle, give every child a card which is placed on the floor in front of them.

• Each child identifies their phoneme (sound), with help from others if necessary.

• Teacher looks at an alliteration card and calls out the subjects (e.g. whales in the water)

• Child with corresponding grapheme card calls out the sound and holds up their card.

Noughts and crosses
Aim: grapheme identification
Equipment: whiteboard, 3 coloured markers

Game

• Divide class into 2 groups (e.g. name them 2 different colours), and sit them apart.

• In black, draw a noughts & crosses grid and write in 9 graphemes/digraphs.

• A member from first team calls out a phoneme from the square he wants to go first.

• Someone else from his team has to call out a word with a corresponding initial sound.

• Teacher then rubs out the grapheme and replaces it with a smiley face in that team’s colour.

• Continue with other team until either team win by winning 3 smiley faces in a row.

Stepping Stones
Aim: grapheme identification
Equipment: grapheme cards

Game

• Place cards in a large circle

• Children step from card to card while singing “walk around and find a sound, …What will I stop on?”

• Going round the circle, each child jumps back off their card and immediately calls out the sound.

Say a sound 
Aim: grapheme & initial sound identification
Equipment: alliteration cards

Game

• Hold up alliteration card while children sing the rhyme

• Starting with the adult, everyone has to think of something beginning with the sound on the card

Find a sound
Aim: grapheme & initial sound identification
Equipment: grapheme cards in a box

Game

• Children sit in a circle

• The box of cards are passed around the circle while singing: “pass the sound box round and round etc … what can you find?”

• Child identifies the phoneme and then finds something in the room beginning with that sound and places the card next to the object/ brings it back to the circle

Who can cross the river? 
Aim: grapheme identification & cvc blending
Equipment: white board, marker pens

Game

• Draw a river across the board. Write 3 letters at the top (ones which make up a cvc word)

• Draw a crocodile in the river and a child’s name next to the cvc word

• Sing “who can cross the river, who can cross the river, who can cross the river and reach the other side?”

• Child has to identify sounds and blend to make the cvc word

• When child is successful, then sing “……has crossed the river …and reached the other side”. Write child’s name on other side of river.

• ALTERNATIVE VERSION: lay out 2 ropes to represent river. Place 3 carpet squares as stepping stones across the river, place 3 grapheme cards - one on each carpet square.

• Child sounds out the phonemes as s/he steps across the river, then blends the sounds together to hear the word.

Pairs
Aim: grapheme identification
Equipment: grapheme cards - 2 sets (select no more than 5- 8 different letters)

Game

• Sit children in horse shoe in front of you

• Identify phonemes with group as you hold up the cards, then place them upside down in a grid pattern in centre of horse shoe facing the children.

• Facing into the horse shoe so the group can all see, let each child turn over 3 cards, identifying phonemes as each card is turned over. Ensure cards are replaced in same position if not “won”.

• Wining cards are placed in front of successful children.

“Sound jump” game could be played at end of game.

Pick a letter
Aim: grapheme & initial sound identification
Equipment: grapheme cards, - one for each child, in a box

Game

• Sit children in a circle and give first child the box.

• Child picks a card from the box, identifies phoneme (sound) and thinks of something beginning with that phoneme.

• Pass box to next child and repeat. Try to keep the pace fast.

I spy with my little eye
Aim: grapheme & initial sound identification
Equipment: grapheme cards in a box, and objects/pictures with initial sounds to match graphemes.

Game

• Sit children in a circle and place objects in centre.

• Give first child the box.

• Child picks a card from the box, and says, “I spy with my little eye something beginning with …… (says sound on card) and looks for a corresponding object. Collects object and places it with card in front of him.

• Continue game round circle.

Medial Vowels 
Aim: grapheme & medial sound identification
Equipment: objects -with cvc construction ( in basket), the 5 vowel grapheme cards

Game

• Sit children in horse shoe in front of you

• Identify vowel graphemes and place in horse shoe, facing children

• Pass basket of objects while singing abcdefg etc. Child holding basket on “z”, chooses an object, says its name then segments its sounds to identify its middle sound. The child then places the object underneath the correct vowel. Repeat until all objects have been placed.

• This game could be ended by writing the spelling of an object on board and asking a child to read the word by blending the sounds then collecting the object and placing it back in the basket.

This game could also be adapted to focus on initial or final sounds.

Initial Sound Bingo
Aim: grapheme & initial sound identification
Equipment :  selection of objects with different initial sounds, A4 boards divided into 3 columns, basket,
                    grapheme cards to match object’s initial sounds

Game

• Each child has a board on which they place any 3 grapheme cards in the 3 columns. Each child identifies their graphemes

• Teacher holds up an object for the children to name it and identify its initial sound. Child with corresponding card claims object and places it next to its letter.

• First child with 3 objects is the winner………… but who will be second, third etc?

Initial Sound Jump Up
Aim:  grapheme & initial sound identification
Equipment : grapheme cards

Give each child a grapheme card. You say a word and the child with the grapheme representing the initial sound must jump up before the other children point to it. If the children seem receptive to continuing, repeat with different selection of graphemes.

Alliteration Generation
Aim: generation of alliteration words
Equipment: selection of objects to pass around circle and grapheme cards to match initial sounds, basket

• Lay objects in centre of circle and explain that the first child will pick a card from a pile handed to him (in a basket) identify the sound, then find the object which begins with the same sound. Encourage the group to call out other words, which begin with same sound.

• The object will then be passed around the circle with each child saying”...(cat) begins with cer and...(child thinks of another word which begins with the same sound) collar begins with cer. “

• The next child begins by repeating “cat begins with cer and (adds his own word)”. Words can be repeated.

• Repeat game with another object.