Help a dyslexic child hear the sounds inside words, so reading gets easier. 3 short activities, 10 minutes each, over 1 week.
At a glance
- Time: 3 activities, 10 minutes each, over 1 week
- You need: pens or crayons, a quiet spot, and the 3 free worksheets below
- Mooki cards: Word Families, Start and End Sounds, Blending Sounds (optional)
- By the end: you’ll know which word sounds the child finds easy, and which to practise more
Why word sounds?
When children learn to read, they break words down into sounds and letters (phonics). Being able to hear those sounds can help a dyslexic child read better. The reading staircase builds this up one step at a time: syllables, rhyming, alliteration, onset-rime, sound identification and blending sounds.
.jpg)
Before you start
- Print the worksheets. Or the child can draw their own boxes on plain paper.
- One a day. Play each game on a different day so the child doesn’t feel overwhelmed.
- Quiet and calm. Pick a quiet place with no distractions.
- Make it a game. Play together, so the child hardly notices they are learning.
Day 1: Can you find a rhyme?
Helps the child match rhyming word sounds. Uses the Word Families card.
- Write a short word on each roof, for example cat.
- Ask: “What rhymes with cat?” Write or draw one rhyme, like hat, in each window.
- Say all the words in the house out loud together. Colour a star for each rhyme.
Tip: stuck for words? Our extra word lists have lots of short words to try.
Day 2: What sound does it start and end with?
Helps the child break words down into their sounds. Uses the Start and End Sounds card.
- Word: say a word slowly, for example dog. The child draws or writes it in the big box.
- Start: ask, “What sound does it start with?” Write d in the Start box.
- End: ask, “What sound does it end with?” Write g in the End box.
Tip: say the word slowly and stretch the sounds. For more words, see our extra word lists.
Day 3: Can you push the sounds together?
Helps the child join sounds together to make words. Uses the Blending Sounds card.
- Sounds: say the sounds in a word slowly, one at a time: “c… a… t”. Write one sound in each box.
- Ask the child to push the sounds together, faster and faster.
- Word: the child writes or draws the word they made, cat, in the Word box.
Tip: start with 3-sound words. For more words broken into sounds, see our extra word lists.
Want to practise earlier steps on the reading staircase? Try the word sounds game to play at home or practise phonics sounds with rhyming.
After the week: ask yourself
- Did the child learn better by playing the games?
- Which game felt easiest, and which felt hardest?
- What does the child need to practise more: rhyming, start and end sounds, or blending?
Get all 3 activities, plus 53 more
The Word Families, Start and End Sounds and Blending Sounds cards give you ready-made steps on the front and a picture activity for your child on the back. Everything is in one place. Each is one of 56 ten-minute activities in the Mooki Cards deck.
Instant download · use on a phone or tablet, or print and fill in
