3 fun and easy ways to teach phonics to your 2 year old.

Let’s be honest, not all two year old want to sit down and learn their phonics!

Some do and some don’t.

I have some students who really engage with looking at the sound on the sheet and simply saying it. We repeat this until they’ve really understood how to say it and then we move on to the new sound.

Other students of mine do not engage with the task in the same way.

Some find it really challenging to look at the letter and tell me the sound that it makes. Others just find it boring to simply look at it and say it. If this happens, it’s up to me to be creative and think of ways to engage them and motivate them to actually want to learn their phonics.

And the same goes for you.

If you are struggling to engage your child with their phonics, here are three fun and easy ways to teach phonics to your 2 or 3 year old.

1. Treasure hunt

Print out the phonics or simply write them down on a piece of paper/post it note and hide them around your home. And then ask your child to look for the sounds. When they find the sounds, they need to tell you what they are. If they are reluctant to do this initially, you tell them the sound and encourage them to repeat after you.

2. Bubble bath

As your child is having their bath, use your finger to ‘write’ the sounds in the bubbles! After you’ve written it and your child can see it ask them if they know what sound it makes. Again, if they don’t know it or they are reluctant to answer, tell them and encourage them to repeat after you.

3. Sand letters

Using a sand tray filled with sand, simply ‘write’ the letters in the sand and ask your child if they know what sound it makes.

The most important thing to do is to be consistent. I know it’s not easy and I’m not perfect with this at all (with my own son) but even just 3 minutes a day will make all the difference. With time, you will see that your child will remember their sounds and be able to say them independently.

As a final note, I feel that it is very important to say that you must never put pressure on your child to learn or say their sounds. It must be a fun and enjoyable process. All children will learn their sounds - in their own time.

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