Blending Skills-
Many children with literacy difficulties find it hard to blend phonemes together. Word Chains games allow a child to focus on sounds without the distraction of graphemes, as each sound is represented by a counter. A single phoneme is changed and the child ‘re-blends’ to make a new word. The Word Chain lists progress from simple CVC words, like ‘dog’ and ‘cat’, to more complex words with initial and final blends, like ‘stand’ and ‘crisp’. This allows targeted practice of a very specific skill in just a few minutes.
Consonant Cluster Word Banks
Consonant Cluster Word Banks allow children to practice specific consonant clusters that they find challenging to perceive or to spell. Children typically find the second sound in initial consonant clusters, and the first sound in final consonant clusters difficult. These word banks are organised by cluster type and by word length, allowing games and activities to focus on precisely the letter blends they are finding challenging. Lists are divided into consonant blends for short vowel words, and then a more challenging set of consonant blends for long vowel words.