Let's warm up first

Plenty of children open this box just before they are ready for blends. Nothing is wrong, and you did not buy the wrong box. The tiles inside build simple words too - warm up on them, then start the box together.

Quick check

Can your child read pig, pan and sun on their own? Sounding out slowly is fine.

Yes, they can Not yet, warm us up
Still learning their letter sounds? Start one step back instead.

Session 1short a~10 min

catbaghatmanjamtap
  1. Build. Say cat. They find the tiles and build it on the board. Red tiles are vowels, blue are consonants.
  2. Sounds. Point under each tile and say the sounds: /k/ /a/ /t/. Sounds, not letter names.
  3. Blend. Slide, and blend the sounds together.
  4. Read. They read the word. Then build the next one.

✓ A good sign: They blend a short a word with no help on the sounds.

Stop while it is still fun. Six words is a full session, and repeating one is never going backwards.

Session 2short i~10 min

piglipwigsitkidfin
  1. Build. Say pig. They find the tiles and build it on the board. Red tiles are vowels, blue are consonants.
  2. Sounds. Point under each tile and say the sounds: /p/ /i/ /g/. Sounds, not letter names.
  3. Blend. Slide, and blend the sounds together.
  4. Read. They read the word. Then build the next one.

Bonus check: after the six, build pin with the tiles. It is not one of the practiced words, so reading it shows the sounds are transferring.

✓ A good sign: They read pin, the bonus word they have not practiced, off the tiles.

Stop while it is still fun. Six words is a full session, and repeating one is never going backwards.

Session 3short o~10 min

dogtoploghotmoppod
  1. Build. Say dog. They find the tiles and build it on the board. Red tiles are vowels, blue are consonants.
  2. Sounds. Point under each tile and say the sounds: /d/ /o/ /g/. Sounds, not letter names.
  3. Blend. Slide, and blend the sounds together.
  4. Read. They read the word. Then build the next one.

✓ A good sign: They read two o words in a row without mixing up the middle sound.

Stop while it is still fun. Six words is a full session, and repeating one is never going backwards.

Session 4short u~10 min

sunbugcuptubgumnut
  1. Build. Say sun. They find the tiles and build it on the board. Red tiles are vowels, blue are consonants.
  2. Sounds. Point under each tile and say the sounds: /s/ /u/ /n/. Sounds, not letter names.
  3. Blend. Slide, and blend the sounds together.
  4. Read. They read the word. Then build the next one.

✓ A good sign: They read nut and tub without help.

Stop while it is still fun. Six words is a full session, and repeating one is never going backwards.

Session 5short e~10 min

bedhennetpenlegred
  1. Build. Say bed. They find the tiles and build it on the board. Red tiles are vowels, blue are consonants.
  2. Sounds. Point under each tile and say the sounds: /b/ /e/ /d/. Sounds, not letter names.
  3. Blend. Slide, and blend the sounds together.
  4. Read. They read the word. Then build the next one.

✓ A good sign: They read pen and net, even slowly. Slow and right beats fast.

Stop while it is still fun. Six words is a full session, and repeating one is never going backwards.

Tile Swap Gamethe victory lap~10 min

Build cat. Now swap just one tile, the red /a/ for the red /u/, and ask: what does it say now? cut. One tile, a whole new word. That is the game.

cat→cut→nut→net→wet→jet

Swap one tile at a time, left to right through the chain. Let them tell you which tile changed before they read the new word. Then chain two:

sun→run→rub→rib

✓ A good sign: They can say which tile changed, and read the new word.

The yellow ring shows which tile swaps at each step.

Ready for the box

A simple guide: when they read pig, pan and sun on their own, slow sounding out included, they are ready to start the first card set. pan is the interesting one - it is not a practiced word, so it shows the sounds are transferring. Open the Phonics Magic booklet at page 6. Not clicking yet? Support is fine, and repeating a session is not going backwards - repeats are how it sticks.

Want these words as real cards?

The free Warm-Up Words pack has all 36 words as picture and word cards, in the same card style as our big deck. Print one session at a time, cut, and play. Tell us where to send it and it is yours to keep.

We will email you the odd thing worth reading about screen free reading practice. Leave any time, one click.

Prefer not to print and cut? CVC Word Magic is the same system, ready to play.

Starting one step back?

If letter sounds are still brand new, the warm-up will feel like a wall, and that is not your child's fault or yours. Begin with Owl Village First Words, our free 7-day starter: letter sounds to first words, ten minutes a day.

Get First Words free (PDF)
Pip the owl

Something missing or broken? Get help - we'll make it right · support@owl-village.com