Updated: Oct 8, 2023
A CVCC word is made from a consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant. Children spell CVCC words by sounding them out and breaking them up into individual sounds - this is called segmenting.
Fill a tray with sand. I used our phonics box as an activity tray and used kinetic sand. Use magnetic letters to spell the CVCC words. Say the word 'sand’ then sound it out s-a-n-d, slightly emphasising the third sound because this is the sound that children sometimes find tricky to hear. Sound it out again this time pressing the letters into the sand as you said them.
Choose different CVCC words and see if your child can segment the sounds then use the magnetic letters to make them.
It is quite common for children to miss one of the consonants e.g. writing jup for jump. If your child does this, make four dots in the sand to act as sound buttons to help them. Say the word slowly, emphasising the sound the have missed juuummmp.
Support: Make the word and press the letters into the kinetic sand. Remove the letters to leave an imprint in the sand. Get your children to practise putting the letters in order and encourage them to say each of the sounds as they do.
Here are some other words you could use:
Phase 2 sounds:
went (w-e-n-t)
help (h-e-l-p)
just (j-u-s-t)
tent (t-e-n-t)
belt (b-e-l-t)
lamp (l-a-m-p)
lost (l-o-s-t)
melt (m-e-l-t)
Phase 3 sounds:
tenth (t-e-n-th)
chimp (ch-i-m-p)
bench (b-e-n-ch)
shift (sh-i-f-t)
joint (j-oi-n-t)
boost (b-oo-s-t)
roast (r-oa-st)