‘Jolly Phonics Songs’ still continues to impress.

It may be have been around for over 2 decades and look a little dated but the Jolly Phonics’ Songs as a Synthetic Phonics teaching aid is impressively reliable. I can not say the same for the actual Jolly Phonics teaching scheme however.

Having trained in Early Years in the U.K. at the same time that Letters and Sounds was released (2007) I haven’t looked back. In fact our school curriculum has taken this scheme even further as the authors seem to lose a bit of steam and passion at Phases 5 and 6. Ideas for teaching activities are a little scarce and unimaginative.

The beauty of a scheme such as Letters and Sounds is that it is more of a framework to work by. And whilst ideas for activities are suggested, they don’t allow teachers to fall into the trap of religiously following someone else’s  lesson plans, that are not tailored to the individuals in their class.

Jolly Phonics is such a synthetic phonics scheme. It is really designed for the laziest of teachers. Daily worksheets are used to support and extend unimaginative lessons. Lessons quickly become dull and monotonous and only a small percentage of a class is really enthused by the humdrum structure of the teach / practice phase.

Whereas the Letters and Sounds approach, might have children practicing writing in the ‘y’ sound in actual yoghurt or searching for ‘s’ words on coins, buried in the sand pit, with a metal detector. The possibilities are endless. It doesn’t take much to work out which type of lesson will have more of an impact on a child’s learning.

At the moment we are always taking the children outside and using the playground and outdoor equipment to create games. Our teachers use the toys and games that the children love playing with and add sounds or tricky words in some way. ‘Phonics Raceway’ is a current favourite with our Reception children. The children drive the toy cars around our racetrack and must stop at the signposts to read words that are levelled and graded for the various ability groups in the class.

I do have to concede however, that the Jolly Phonics ‘Songs’ still continue to impress me for their longevity and resilience. There aren’t many teaching resources that have stood the same test of time. Especially when you consider the new technologies that have emerged in the last decade alone. But if you stop to think about it, and just why they might have continued to be so popular amongst young children for so long, it is really rather obvious. The original idea is amazing. Take traditional and well known children’s rhymes, make up a short verse for audio learners and then add an action to each song to appeal to visual learners. Job done. If only there was a tactile element to the resource!

It is surprising however, that this idea has not been developed and redesigned a little in the last 20 years. The resources that support the songs have not changed since their initial conception. I really believe there is a very big opportunity out there for someone to come along and give the whole scheme an overhaul; the images and pictures, characters, workbooks (if you use them) The potential for success is huge. Especially when you consider the vast number of both English speaking and non-English speaking countries that use Jolly Phonics worldwide.

Some might argue that its successor has already arrived. And I would have to agree. However ,until every classroom around the world is equipped with an interactive whiteboard, a T.V. or a full set of tablets for the children, ‘Alphablocks’ simply can not take the No. 1 spot as a phonics teaching support resource.

Once that does happen however, world wide literacy levels will surely explode.

For now, I consider myself very lucky that our school, is well equipped. My students get to see the best visual presentation for reading that any teacher could hope for. An animated episode that links directly to the daily teaching objective. Simply put, it’s genius!

The importance of using games to teach Phonics

Children love games right? They love exciting and engaging games that they can easily understand the rules to and which they are able to experience the joy and excitement of winning. As adults games need to be at least a little challenging for us to gain the same amount of excitement from a game. Games that are too easily achievable simply fail to invoke any real stimulation. For children however, especially in the Early Years, the challenge doesn’t matter quite so much. Usually having a fair amount of turns is just as important.

This makes the job of a teacher, parent or carer incredibly easy to come up with an activity that will entertain a child for short amount of time. All we need is a little imagination and sometimes, for the less creative of us,  some ideas from others.

At BEYC we follow a very play centred curriculum. Not only do the children have the freedom to choose and play at regular times throughout the school day but all (most) teacher led activities particularly for Maths and Phonics are games based. Our teaching staff are both guided and encouraged to choose the most exciting and engaging activities to play with the children during learning sessions. Whether the children are learning a new sound, letter of the alphabet, counting to 10, sorting objects or spelling words, they learn through games.

The formula for a successful lesson, which results in excellent learning of knowledge and skills, is really very simple: Take a favourite children’s game. Kids party games are a great place to start. Games such as ‘Pass the Parcel’, North South East West, Musical Chairs, Treasure Hunt, Kim’s Game (The one where you place objects on a tray, cover, then remove an item for the children to remember which has been removed).

Next you need to find a way to incorporate the teaching objective into the game. And that is it! Let the learning begin.

From a  teacher’s point of view, there is nothing better that an activity that all the children want to play. As a way of controlling behaviour and as a means to teach turn taking, sharing and good sportsmanship etc its fantastic.

This formula for effective learning really isn’t anything new or even that amazing, but it is something that many teachers, parents and child practitioners often forget, resulting in ineffective learning or unnecessary stress.

We have been using the game based lessons to teach, practice and apply new skills and knowledge ever since the Letters and Sounds publication was issued in the U.K. Initially we made permanent resources based around the suggested Phonics games but it wasn’t long before our teaching staff started getting incredibly imaginative with ideas. This led to us making an array of permanent resources that teachers can use both inside and outside of the classrooms. The academic results and progression in Phonics as a result of this initiative has been truly amazing. Here is a great post for Kidsactivities: http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/57189/35-letters-and-sounds-learning-games

For more ideas on games and activities to help your chip learn, please check out our previous posts here

Using games and fun activities to teach phonics

 

 

 

 

How to help develop pre-writing skills

Here is a great way to help children to develop pre-writing skills. Pre-writing skill development sets the foundation for children to develop quickly when they pick up a pencil. Fine motor skills are the ability to make small precise movements with control, using fingers, wrists and hands. The strengthening of these muscles from an early age is very important and there are lots of fun ways to do it.

Fine motor skills are not only important for writing— they are necessary in order to button and zip clothes, tie shoes, and later learn to read without difficulty. Eye-hand coordination is a prerequisite for developing the visual perception necessary to read from left to right (Beaty, 1979).

A Fun way to practice fine motor control from an early age.

 

Additional content sourced from Early Childhood News

“O” for orange- water play activity

For younger children it is not only important to help them to grasp a concept of phonics and maths but also to encourage them to explore themselves and the world around them. Here is a great idea involving manipulative water based play. It is a holistic learning activity; great fun for any young child. Click here for more details.