Snake Hiss, Bee Buzz
What you need
- three soft toys or small toys: a snake, a bee and a train
How to do it
- Sit the three toys in front of you and give each one its sound: the snake says sss, the bee says zzz, the train says ch-ch-ch.
- Say a word that starts with one of those sounds, stretching the start: sssun, zzzip, ch-ch-chips.
- Ask your child which toy the word belongs to, and let them hand it to that toy.
- Swap: they say a word and you find the toy. Silly made-up words count.
Why it matters
A stretched-out sss at the start of a word is easy to hear on its own, and giving the word to the right toy turns the listening into something they do with their hands.
What they're learning
- First sounds
- Hearing the sss at the start of sun.
- Listening closely
- Picking out one sound from a whole word.
- Making sounds
- Hissing, buzzing and chuffing with their own mouth.
What to look for
Notice them stretching out the first sound of a word themselves.
A tip
Say the sounds, not the letter names: sss, not ess. A few minutes is plenty; stop while it's still fun.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: use two toys, the snake and the bee, and say just the sounds
Harder: add a fourth toy, a dog that says rrr, and try the family's names
