Today’s post is provided by Bristol mum of two, Frances Johnson, who is starting Sounds Right Phonics classes for 1-4s in Bedminster, Clifton and Keynsham in September.

You too can learn to love phonics!

The way in which children are taught to read is different now to when I and many other parents were at primary school.  The government has highlighted how “the gap just widens” when children in Year 1 cannot read simple words, but up to a quarter of new school starters don’t have the skills they need to learn.

Systematic phonics is the system used across the country to teach children how to firstly identify different sounds in words (rather than identifying individual letters) so that they can read and spell with them.

The English language has 26 letters but far more than 26 sounds are needed to form words. Knowing the ABC doesn’t make a word readable.

In a systematic phonic approach every letter is taught as a sound rather than a name and the sounds are combined to make words for example the sounds c-a-t can be blended to make cat.

It gets more complicated with talk of digraphs and trigraphs, but for the parent of a pre-school child the important thing is just to begin to learn single letter sounds and how to blend these together.

Practice and repetition is key to children’s learning as well as making it fun. This is where classes like Sounds Right Phonics in Bristol really make a difference.

During the active 45 minute class children learn their letter and word sounds using segmenting and oral blending skills with the help of their new friend Robot Reg. No learning is done from a worksheet, children frequently move around playing games and dancing to music building their fine and gross motor skills.

A Sounds Right Phonics class will also equip these little learners with other skills needed for starting school like how to take turns or pay attention as well as making friends.

It’s never too early to start learning so there is even a class for the newly walking 1 year olds introducing them to early phonics through rhyme and rhythm.

All parents want the best for their children and want to be able to sit down and read with them without feeling confused or angry about how the child is attempting to read their storybook.

Children are learning all the time, particularly during our classes, but so too are their grown-ups.

Come learn together with the power of music, bubbles, pom poms and Robot Reg at Sounds Right Phonics Bristol (classes in Bedminster, Clifton and Keynsham).

If you would like to book a place for your child at a Sounds Right Phonics class in Bedminster, Clifton or Keynsham, please email Frances on frances@soundsrightphonicsclasses.co.uk.

You can also message Frances via the Sounds Right Phonics Bristol facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/soundsrightphonicsbristol/

Find out more about Sounds Right Phonics classes by visiting https://soundsrightphonicsclasses.co.uk/