Frugal Phonics Games

The following is a guest post from Angela at The Suburban Jungle.

I have been working with my children on learning letter sounds (phonics) since they were little. They love "playing" phonics. Here are some of the tools we use to learn phonics. They can be used for children as young as two (great for increasing vocabulary) and are especially fun for 3 and 4 year olds.The first picture is of a cork board I filled with each letter and sound group (I also included sh, oo, th, and ch). Then I used a tack to put an object near the letter that starts with the same sound of that letter. We made up tons of games with this board. The accompanying item is great for 3 year olds to make the sound association and serves as a fun reminder for 4 year olds.These are our phonics packets. I made one for each letter, A-Z, and the combination sounds (sh, oo, ch, th). I used ziploc bags (simple and see-through), then filled them with small items that begin with the same letter sound.

Here is a sample of a few of the pieces I collected for the letter R. In the picture, there is a Ram, Ring, Rock, Rim, Rose, Rooster, Robot, and Raisin Bran. Some of the letter packs are easy to fill (S, M, P, for example) and some are tough (x, y, z) but you can find pieces for each letter. I used small toys, things from my "junk" drawer, everyday items, and magazine and box cutouts.

The best part of these phonics tools is that you can make them for free, from things all children have laying around in their rooms or playrooms. And kids think it's fun to play with all the manipulative pieces.