Phase 1

As aligned with Letters and Sounds, phase one of phonics is fundamental to developing communication and language in the Early Years foundation Stage while developing the other areas of development within the provision. 

Our planning has been designed to promote the development of the seven key aspects within phase one. The planning runs on a cycle where an aspect will be taught for 2 weeks with aspect 7 intertwined into everyday practice. There are a variety of multi-sensory activities for the children to take part in as whole class or small group learning. 

What will the children learn? 

Aspect 1: General sound discrimination – environmental sounds

Children are encouraged to develop their vocabulary, ask questions, explore sounds made by different things including animals and experiment with the sounds objects make. 

Aspect 2: General sound discrimination – instrumental sounds

Children continue to explore how sounds are made and can be manipulated, make rhythms, listen to each other and play with instruments, which can be made by the children, and objects outdoors. 

Aspect 3: General sound discrimination – body percussion

Children will begin to explore the sounds that their own body can make when they do different actions. 

Aspect 4: Rhythm and rhyme

Children will join in familiar nursery rhymes and rhythms, make their own and share stories with their peers which are repeated over time. 

Aspect 5: Alliteration

Children will begin to understand alliteration through rhymes and tongue twisters and start to develop an understanding of the initial sound. 

Aspect 6: Voice sounds

Children will be encouraged to use their voice to recreate sounds they can hear and act out familiar stories with sound effects. 

Aspect 7: Oral blending and segmenting

Children will begin to start to hear and say initial sounds, orally segment and blend the phonemes in words listening to the order that they are segmented in.