Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Phonics - reception year

30 replies

Mother990xxxx · 07/02/2024 20:45

My son is 4 and in reception (August baby)

He has this week come home with his first book with words which he is very excited about . His teacher told me he is great with all the sounds / letters but it's struggling when it actually comes to blending

I have been going through his book with him, and he can do 'cat' 'on' and a few others but I can't think of them right now 🤦‍♀️

Is there anything I can do help him ? I get him to sound out each letter, and I try to blend it with him but he sometimes just can't quite get it!

Is this normal for his age? Should he be doing more ? I don't want to put to much pressure on him, but he's so excited when he does get it right!

He's very eager to learn, even when we are out and about he loves to point out letters, especially if it's a letter in his name!

I work in education, but in a high school so this is all new to me!

Thank you

OP posts:
Tiggles · 07/02/2024 21:42

With my children I initially would say the word slowly in phonics
C.....A.....T
if they couldn't get it, would then say it a bit quicker, and then quicker until they could hear the word. At the beginning they would only get it when I got as far as CAT, but it didn't take long for them to start being able to do it with a gap between the phonics.
When they started to be able to do that then we started to play I spy, again using the slow spelling out of things eg I spy with my little eye a C......A.......T

mizzastar · 07/02/2024 21:45

Alphablocks on BBC iplayer. Really helped my daughter who's now 9 and my youngest who's in foundation now. X

LuckyLandon · 07/02/2024 22:14

I read somewhere that a good tactic is to sound out words when you're just taking to him, not just when there printed words in front of you - and do it as often as you can (or as often as he'll tolerate). So you can just say 'can you pass me that C-U-P?' or 'look, a D-O-G over there' etc. He doesn't necessarily have to tell you what the word is but it gets them hearing it broken down, and you can get a lot of practice in without having to 'do' reading all the time.

Notafanoftaylorswift · 07/02/2024 22:18

He’s still so young

LuckyLandon · 07/02/2024 22:18

Also, summer babies have a lot to catch up on so I wouldn't worry at all about where he is, I think he's right on track. It's great that he likes school and is excited when he succeeds, I think that's so so important in these early years

JussathoB · 07/02/2024 22:21

Just read and enjoy lots of stories together, and talk about what happens, and do nursery rhymes and songs together.
This will give your child a good foundation and then the school can teach him phonics.

voxnihili · 07/02/2024 22:39

My DD is also an August baby. She's now 5 and in year 1. She knew her sounds before starting reception but getting her to blend words was like pulling teeth. I don't think she really got it until she was closer to 5. Even now sometimes though it is like that scene from Friends where Joey is learning French and sounds everything out, but then says something completely different when he puts it together.

One thing I've tried that maybe seemed to help was me saying the individual sounds and her putting it together.

voxnihili · 07/02/2024 22:40

@Mother990xxxx I'm also in a secondary school - I feel completely out of my depth. Have taught for years but I just don't know how to help her with this!

HotToes · 07/02/2024 22:42

It's great that he's enthusiastic..Just make sure he carries on enjoying it.

Packageholiday · 07/02/2024 22:46

He's extremely young.
My first dd got phonics late and reading clicked big time in year two and it's snowballed... Second dd was massively struggling in reception and year 1 and year 2 and failed all the phonics tests.

I switched to sight reading and flash card and she got it in 3 months.

Packageholiday · 07/02/2024 22:47

@voxnihili

I wouldn't have got blending either and for my 2nd dc phonics added an unnecessary layer of complexity to simply reading words.

Rainallnight · 07/02/2024 22:55

My DS is July born and was similar. All I can say is to keep plugging away at what you’re doing. But also just keep up a lot of books and reading for the fun of it.

My DS is now in Year 1 and I’d say blending is just coming together reliably for him now. But he loves books and that’s what’ll stand to him in the end.

Original poster
Mother990xxxx · 08/02/2024 09:16

thank you all for your advise and suggestions!

This morning, I thought id just have a go at sounding out dog & cat and straight away he told me what they were! I think he is picking it up more than I give him credit for. Even just from going through the book last night he was able to sound out some more words this morning compared to yesterday

OP posts:
NachosAndCheese · 08/02/2024 09:24

I’ve also got an August baby, he’s year 5 now and his reading ability is amazing. Your DS is clearly picking it up. I agree that alphablocks is great.

Phonics is hard and only gets worse when you start silent letters (why does the English language make no sense!).

ThanksItHasPockets · 08/02/2024 09:26

Another vote for Alphablocks, and for you to watch it too to understand how to form a phonetically 'pure' sound rather than adding a schwa (eg buh, cuh, duh). What phonics programme does his school do?

Original poster
Mother990xxxx · 08/02/2024 09:26

@NachosAndCheese So pleased to hear your child has picked it up!

i agree, it is hard! I find it confusing, so i'm unsure how young children manage with it!

OP posts:
HaveNoIdeaForAName · 08/02/2024 09:28

My summer child missed most of reception due to Covid. She is now in year four and exceeding in her reading. They are very young and it’s ok for them to learn at their own pace. They will catch up. I would try and keep it fun.

Original poster
Mother990xxxx · 08/02/2024 09:32

@ThanksItHasPockets i believe they are using 'Read Write Inc. Phonics'

OP posts:
ThanksItHasPockets · 08/02/2024 09:36

RWI is a good programme and very well resourced. They have lots of parent guides if you want to learn more, often under ‘Ruth Mission Training’ as this is the company who produce RWI. As an example this is a video aimed at parents to explain oral blending . You don’t need to spend money on the flashcards but it will be useful to be able to refer to ‘Fred talk’!

Original poster
Mother990xxxx · 08/02/2024 09:42

@ThanksItHasPockets thank you!

I was actually thinking of making him some flash cards at work which I can laminate for him to help him

OP posts:
Noicant · 08/02/2024 09:44

I would try phonics flash cards, it’ll help him remember what groups of letters sound like and it’ll be easier for you to figure out where he’s fine and what he struggles with.

TheSandgroper · 08/02/2024 09:51

Honestly, I wouldn’t worry at this stage if you are reading to him every day.

Hearing and recognising a word is probably a different part of the brain from wanting and making a word and different parts of the brain make connections at different times.

He is only 4 years old and the brain is still more mush than network. Give it time to grow.

stackhead · 08/02/2024 09:53

Do they do a daily sound in class? My DD in reception, June born does a daily phonic sound in the morning with an associated mnenomic (sp?) like "oo" was "book on the hook", i'll be buggered if I remember the others! She remembers all of them though. Once we worked out that was happening everyday we started asking and working on that sound at home, piecing it together. And learning with her, we got her to teach us what she'd learnt at school that day and how to blend (no idea pre starting school!)

Also read everything, and use your finger to point the words out.

She's picked it up super well and it basically reading solo at this point but I reckon that's more natural aptitude rather than any input from us!

ThanksItHasPockets · 08/02/2024 10:04

stackhead · 08/02/2024 09:53

Do they do a daily sound in class? My DD in reception, June born does a daily phonic sound in the morning with an associated mnenomic (sp?) like "oo" was "book on the hook", i'll be buggered if I remember the others! She remembers all of them though. Once we worked out that was happening everyday we started asking and working on that sound at home, piecing it together. And learning with her, we got her to teach us what she'd learnt at school that day and how to blend (no idea pre starting school!)

Also read everything, and use your finger to point the words out.

She's picked it up super well and it basically reading solo at this point but I reckon that's more natural aptitude rather than any input from us!

Or maybe excellent teaching from her class teacher…?!

stackhead · 08/02/2024 10:25

ThanksItHasPockets · 08/02/2024 10:04

Or maybe excellent teaching from her class teacher…?!

Show quote history

That goes without saying (I thought). Her teachers are wonderful!

Swipe left for the next trending thread