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Can your reception child blend sounds?

31 replies

caffeinated · 07/01/2014 12:30

Just that really.

I know that it will just click and yadda yadda but just intrigued. DC3 is in reception and doesn't get it all yet. I do help in class and I'd say only about 55% get blending at this point so I know it's no reflection of my child's intelligence before I get flamed for bringing it up. DC1 could blend from starting school Dec Birthday, dc2 from ict in reception (April birthday) dc3 is a June birthday.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
caffeinated · 07/01/2014 12:31

Dc2 October

OP posts:
nonicknameseemsavailable · 07/01/2014 12:36

DD1 couldn't, is only just getting blending now at 6 but reads chapter books (is under investigation for visual processing issues)
DD2 is in reception now and yes she can. She could do basic blending from sometime around her 4th birthday and seems to really 'get' the idea of it which DD1 just didn't.

School are doing a lot of focus on blending CVC words at the moment but like you have said they are all just different.

shadylane · 07/01/2014 12:39

What does this mean? (Genuine question)

maizieD · 07/01/2014 12:48

@shadylane

It means working out what the individual sounds in a word are, from the letters that represent them, then running them all together, smoothly, (blending them) to produce the word. It's a vital skill for reading.

Some children take longer than others to acquire it, OP. Most get it absolutely fine with practice.

One factor which could be hindering is not using 'pure' sounds but adding an /uh/ to the end of consonants. This distorts the end word (/cuh/ /a/ /tuh/ blended says cuhatuh, not 'cat'!) and makes it hard for the child to make sense of what they are doing.

maverick · 07/01/2014 14:04

If your child has difficulties with blending then follow John Walker's (Sounds-Write www.sounds-write.co.uk/) practical advice:

''If he can't blend three-sound words without help, get hold of a whiteboard or plain piece of paper, write the first word ‘sat’ on the whiteboard and say, “We’re going to read a word with three sounds in it. I want you to say the sounds and listen for the word.”
Now, guide him with your finger to say ‘s’ ‘a’ ‘t’ and he should be able to hear ‘sat’. It is important to use a sound at the beginning of the word that is a continuant – a sound you can hang on to and extend so that he can really hear it.
If he finds this difficult, control the exercise with your finger. Say to him, “I want you to say the sounds until my finger moves on to the next sound.” Now, under the , let your finger linger so that he is saying ‘sssss’. Continue through the word.
You could also get him to run his finger under the word, getting you to say the sounds until his finger moves on. (Children do enjoy having this power over adults!) However, the point you’re making is that if you say sounds (precisely – ‘s’ not ‘suh’), you can hear what the word is.
After he’s read ‘sat’, make him write it and say the sounds as he writes. When he’s written it, he needs to read it back: ‘s’ ‘a’ ‘t’, ‘sat’.
When you’ve practised with lots of words beginning with continuants (‘f’, ‘l’, ‘m’, ‘n’, and so on), practise with words beginning with non-continuants, such as ‘b’, ‘t’, etc).
After that, move on to CVCC words like ‘film’, ‘nest’, ‘wept’. When he’s proficient (80% + successful), go on to CCVC words like ‘swim’, ’frog’, ‘slug’ and so on. Notice that all of these words contain sounds that you can hang on to. This should make it easy for him to hear what the word is.
After reading a word, always make him write, saying the sounds separately, before reading it back at the end''.

Onelittlebugbear · 07/01/2014 20:22

Ds (4 and a half) can blend CVC (so cat, hop, bat etc) and some CCVC or CVCC so chat, fish, pull, pass etc. it depends which diagraphs it is as he doesn't know any vowel ones yet so couldn't read book or rail etc.

LittleMissGreen · 07/01/2014 21:43

DS3 can - but he is a September birthday. He learnt to do for simple 3 letter words in around June last year, so when he was nearly 5. But he was 5 before he could start blending long words.
DS2 was also nearly 5 when he learnt to blend. It came together very quickly for him once he learnt how to do it, so from no reading to reading well within days.
DS1 could blend at 3 but I think he is the exception rather than the rule.

Oblomov · 07/01/2014 21:57

Reading with interest. Ds2 can't blend. Was 5 in October. But ds1 was reading complicated sentences by now, so this is all new to me.

Willitberaaaaspberry · 07/01/2014 21:58

No reflection on your child at all at such a young age. Just curious though, do you mean orally blending or actually matching the phoneme with the letter shape and early writing?

This 'step up' in terms of difficulty of language acquisition can create frustration (just like a toddler learning to speak their first words who can become frustrated trying to make themselves understood).

This is a new skill that doesn't come naturally/easily to all children and in fact is quite alien to what children have discovered about language up to that point (i.e. that the way we communicate is made up of full words).

Just like a child needs to hear each new word they learn in context a ridiculous number of times before they can use it in their speech they also need to hear how to segment and blend words in lots of different situations before they can begin to assimilate it in their own language.

Making a game (little but often) of an adult 'saying' examples of how to blend and segment can be one of the best ways for children to hear how this skill is performed and for them to take it on board themselves.

I would imagine that most parents of Reception children are not spending much of their day orally blending and segmenting Grin so the first time lots of Reception children actually hear this is when they go to school! It's not surprising that they can find it difficult!

I do think orally understanding the skills of blending and segmenting is needed before introducing letter shapes but that the shape can be introduced alongside as the understanding of blending and segmenting is becoming more secure with the child.

ReallyTired · 07/01/2014 22:01

dd can blend simple words and sometimes manages to blend longer words. Today she struggled with "fishpond", but could read "fish" and "pond". She has an april birthday.

I think children need to practice reading/ phonics for five to ten minutes every day. With ds (december birthday) it clicked after about 6 months.

olibeansmummy · 07/01/2014 22:20

Yes, ds ( will be 5 in May) has been able to blend CVC words since before he started school, but now it's properly clicked and he can blend up to 7 letter words ( but including digraphs so less sounds). He can also segment for spelling surprisingly (to me anyway) well. I really wouldn't worry yet though, like you say there will be plenty of DC that can't blend yet and plenty that are further on than my ds too.

JingleJoo · 07/01/2014 22:31

DS has just caught on (March bday) but upon til Xmas there was lots of:

Me: Let's make the word DS. D-O-G. D.O.G. what does that spell?
DS: Cat?

choceyes · 08/01/2014 10:34

Ds (4 and a half) can blend CVC (so cat, hop, bat etc) and some CCVC or CVCC so chat, fish, pull, pass etc. it depends which diagraphs it is as he doesn't know any vowel ones yet so couldn't read book or rail etc.

Pretty much this for my DS (although he is already 5, Nov birthday)/

Enb76 · 08/01/2014 10:56

Yes, but mine is 5 and could before she went to school. It clicked with her at about 4 1/2, no prompting from me, she knew all the letter sounds and worked it out herself. She's mainly worked out the diagraphs (vowel and consonant) from context.

CalamitouslyWrong · 08/01/2014 11:12

I think you might be unnecessarily torturing yourself with this thread, OP. If his teacher is happy with how he's doing, he's probably doing wonderfully.

DS2 (august birthday) can blend cvc words, some cvcc and ccvc words and even some longer words (if the sounds in them are simple). He seems to have some kind of minor hearing issue (he's just been referred to the hospital about it), so I'm amazed at how well he's been doing with phonics.

DS1 (now 13) has always been pretty atrocious at blending. He still can reliably get the letters in the right order in words he doesn't know by sight. I notice this a lot when he talks about characters in books he's been reading (e.g. He thinks it's cabel rather than Caleb).

sashangel · 08/01/2014 14:38

My DD is in reception and is 5 (October baby) and could read and blend simple words from just under 4 (cat, dog, mat etc.)

She spent the first year in nursery just "playing".

They focused on simple phonics (learning letter sounds, simple words, name recognition and writing of it) and numbers in her second year of nursery so she is kind of having her second, but more formal, year of reception iykwim.

She is now on more difficult and longer words using oo, oa etc. but she just gets reading and spelling. We are big readers and read lots to her from day one.

Numbers on the other hand...that is a different kettle of fish.

I understand that she is not the norm however and most kids it does just click DS (again an October baby) took till February half term to "get it" then progressed really quickly. He is however really good with numbers. They have both been brought up in the same house and had the same nursery and school (even teachers).

caffeinated · 08/01/2014 14:52

Ha I'm not torturing myself at all. I was just intrigued like I said I help in his class and about half can't blend yet and this is a school that consistently gets 50-55% level 3 in reading at the end of year 2.

OP posts:
anchovies · 08/01/2014 15:00

DD in reception is a pretty good reader - reading green books at school. Could blend cvc at age 3. She is very keen though!

My two boys on the other hand - DS1 was put in "reading recovery" in year 1 and how no interest in reading whatsoever, ds2 a pretty confident reader by year 1 but had no interest in reading unless he was forced to! D1s in year 5 got a kindle for Christmas and reads literally whatever and whenever he can, ds2 still not into it, would rather be playing football!

I've been completely led by them and they have had the same teachers etc.

maizieD · 09/01/2014 11:13

Ha I'm not torturing myself at all. I was just intrigued

I thought that was probably it. Just popped a bit of 'advice' in in case it wasn't Smile

@anchovies
I don't think that 'being interested' is terribly important so long as the child(ren) can read confidently and competently. It does come in handy for many other things in life as well as 'reading for pleasure'. I'm interseted in your comment about reading recovery. Was that the 'official 'Reading Recovery' or just a school scheme?

maizieD · 09/01/2014 11:14

Arrrgh! 'interested'

Danann · 09/01/2014 18:44

DD got the hang of it just before she started school, she's an October baby. As far as I can remember DS (July baby) didn't get it at all until the end of reception but almost overnight could do long words and read beautifully once it clicked.

AnotherStitchInTime · 09/01/2014 19:18

Dd1 is a June birthday and was blending cvc words when she was 3 (June birthday). Now in Reception she can blend 4-5 letter words and can blend longer words like stepping with help if split into two sections step-ping and then joined back together.

thegreylady · 11/01/2014 18:49

Dgs2 is 4.11 and before Christmas he was still blending then it clicked and now he reads green level ORt with ease, it seemed to come all of a sudden.

PeanutButterOnly · 11/01/2014 19:37

DS2 is 4.5 (Aug birthday) and can blend CVC words. But it's just something he's interested in, so practises a lot and finds it fairly easy. DD was a Nov birthday and was still struggling to blend beginning of year 1. I find it amazing the difference from one to the other.

Bakerof3pudsxx · 11/01/2014 19:38

My four year old blends better than my nearly six year old