Games/toys to develop letter recognition or reading skills?

[Banderchang]

I'm not sure what sort of thing I'm looking for here, so I'm hoping someone can help. My DS (just turned 3) has started to show interest in letter names and how letters relate to sounds. I'd like to build on this interest by finding some toys/games which could provide a useful basis for learning to read.

Can anyone recommend some things we can play with which support the way he will be taught to read in school (or nursery)? I don't want to start trying to make him learn things he's not ready for, but he's showing a real interest in this at the moment and I'd like to capitalise on it.

I was thinking something like an alphabet jigsaw or a big tub of plastic letters, but as I began my random internet search I thought I'd ask here first in case there was (as usual) some great advice on the perfect thing I need! :)

Any thought much appreciated!

Ds has a big tub of foam letters for the bath. He's 2.5 and recognises letters belonging to peoples names, though not the actual letter iykwim. 'g' for gran, 'm' is mummies letter for eg. He can pick them out of a bath tub full.

Not sure how helpful it would/will be but not harmful either I hope.

That sounds good, doughnutty, do you remember where you got them from? DS can also pick out some letters: M for mummy; the ones in his (short) name; plus a couple of others. He did this through eating the Organix Alphabet biscuits and asking me what the letters were, but that's an expensive (and calorific) way to do it! Plus you need to open lots of bags to get a good spread of letters, and they really don't taste that great so there's little incentive!!!

my 2.5 DS can read all the alphabet and shouts each letter excitedly when he sees them on TV or a book, I think its all down to the Leapfrog "Fridge Phonics" game we bought (off amazon) for xmas! i think about £20? its on the fridge door, and you get the whole alphabet as fridge magnets and he put the letter in the slot and it says "E says E" with a song for example. he plays with it whenever I am cooking in the kitchen and has really loved it. its helped with his pronouciation too. :)

Thanks brightonbleach, I'll check that out!

Foam letters we got from ELC.

Ds loved the alphablocks webgames on the CBBies webside from when he was about 2.6yo.

VTech phonics bus is good too - plus you can drive it round the floor trip over it It also has a quiz for when they get a bit older.

Second foam letters for the bath.

Tesco also do bath foam letters.

Excellent, thanks everyone :)

Sorry for late reply. Had to pick kids up and now the wee one won't give in and just GO TO SLEEP!!

Think they came from boots but was ages ago. Someone gave us them as a gift when he was born!!!

They're good because there's 4? of each letter so you can spell out lots. Before ds could appreciate them dh and I used to write little romantic notes to each other on the tiles.

poissonrouge is a great website and has some alphabet activities on it
Nurseries tend to use jollyphonics materials available in ELS, Amazon etc
They start with the sound of the letter not the name of the letter and when goes to school with most likely learn the sounds and blends in the order of the jollyphonics books

we had jollyphonics songbook and cd from elc and dd loved it in the car.

lots of vtech toys say the letter name rather than the sound so i avoid them.

make sure you say mmmm for mommy rather than muh or Em.

elc easel most played with toy here and aquadraw.

get lower case letters rather than capitals to start with.

Those are all great tips, thanks. I have been guilty of saying "muh" for "mummy", so will stop doing that straight away! Maybe I need a crash course in phonics!