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What is blending in phonics, and how do I practise it at home?
Blending is putting sounds together to read a word: /s/ /u/ /n/ becomes sun. Children learn the sounds first, then practise blending them into whole words. At home, say a short word one sound at a time and let your child say the word.
Key facts
- Blending means putting sounds together to read a word. (Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership)
- Segmenting is the other way round: breaking a word into its sounds to spell it. (Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership)
- Children learn sounds first, then practise blending those sounds together to read whole words. (Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership)
A game for the car or the kitchen: robot talk
- Say a short word in robot talk, one sound at a time: s… u… n.
- Your child says the word: sun!
- Start with words of two or three sounds. Swap, and let them be the robot.
Once that's easy, try it with letters on paper or magnet letters: point to each, say its sound, and blend.
When it doesn't click yet
- Go back to two sounds: a… t, i… n.
- Stretch the sounds so they run together: sssuuunnn, instead of s, u, n with gaps.
- Stop while it's fun, and try again another day. Blending often clicks suddenly.
If it still isn't coming after a few months of school, talk to the teacher. Five and not reading yet says what to look out for.
Games on Little Roos that help
- Blend It, Bandicoot: Blending sounds into words: hear s … u … n, and find the sun. Ages 4-6.
- Dingo's Echo: Letter sounds, by hearing a sound and finding the letter that makes it. Ages 3-6.
- Syllable Stomp: Hearing the beats in a word: how many stomps in koala?. Ages 3-6.
Sources
Updated