English Language
Letter Sounds
Phonics: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d
Hear the first letter sounds, say them with actions, and blend them into little words like sat, pin and mat.
Letters make sounds
Every letter has a sound.
When we know the sounds, we can read words!
Ama and Kofi are learning their sounds at school. You can learn them too.
Listen. Say. Sound it out!
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The sound s
s says sss, like a snake. Sss! Sss!
Wiggle your arm like a snake and say sss.
Sun. Sock. Snake. Soup.
They all start with sss. Can you hear it?
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Find the s sound
Kofi sees the sun. Sss-un.
Abena puts on a sock. Sss-ock.
Which of these starts with sss? Sun, cat, sock.
Say each word slowly. Listen for the snake sound.
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The sound a
a says a, like in apple. A! A! A!
Pretend ants are on your arm. Wiggle them off and say a, a, a!
Apple. Ant. Ama. Axe.
Say a three times.
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Find the a sound
Here is an ant. A-nt.
Ama's name starts with a too. A-ma!
Say the sound at the start: ant, apple, Ama.
Can you hear a in all of them?
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The sound t
t says t, like a ticking clock. T! T! T!
Turn your head side to side like a clock: t, t, t.
Table. Tin. Top. Toe.
Tap your toe and say t.
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Find the t sound
Kofi sits at the table. T-able.
He has ten toes. T-oes.
Which starts with t? Top, sun, tin.
Tap the table every time you hear t.
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The sound p
p says p, like blowing out a candle. P! P! P!
Hold up a finger like a candle. Blow it out: p, p, p!
Pot. Pin. Pen. Pawpaw.
Can you say p softly?
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Find the p sound
Mama cooks in a pot. P-ot.
Abena has a pen. P-en.
Which starts with p? Pin, pot, ant.
Pat your knees for each p you hear.
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The sound i
i says i, like in ink. I! I! I!
Pretend to be a little mouse: i, i, i.
Ink. In. Insect. Igloo.
It is a small, quick sound. Say it fast!
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Find the i sound
Kwame puts the ball in the box. I-n.
Spilt ink is messy! I-nk.
Which starts with i? Ink, sun, in.
Point to your eye. That is a different sound. Ink starts with i!
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The sound n
n says nnn, like a noisy aeroplane. Nnn!
Stretch your arms out and fly: nnn, nnn.
Nut. Net. Nose. Nine.
Touch your nose and say nnn.
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Find the n sound
Kofi has a nose. Nnn-ose.
He is nine years old... no, he is five! Nnn-ine.
Which starts with nnn? Net, pot, nut.
Fly your arms for each nnn.
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The sound m
m says mmm, like yummy food. Mmm!
Rub your tummy and say mmm. Kenkey is yummy, mmm!
Mat. Man. Mango. Mama.
Say mmm and smile.
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Find the m sound
Ama sleeps on a mat. Mmm-at.
She eats a mango. Mmm-ango.
Which starts with mmm? Mango, sun, man.
Rub your tummy for each mmm.
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The sound d
d says d, like a drum. D! D! D!
Beat a drum with your hands: d, d, d.
Drum. Dog. Door. Dad.
Can you beat the drum ten times?
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Find the d sound
Kofi opens the door. D-oor.
Dad is home! D-ad.
Which starts with d? Dog, mat, drum.
Beat the drum for each d.
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Say all the sounds
Now you know eight sounds!
s a t p i n m d
Say them all with their actions.
Sss (snake), a (ants), t (clock), p (candle), i (mouse), nnn (aeroplane), mmm (yummy), d (drum).
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Sounds join to make words
Letters are like friends. They hold hands to make words.
Say each sound. Then say them fast together.
s-a-t ... sat!
This is called blending.
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Blend: sat
s - a - t
Say it slowly: sss... a... t.
Now say it fast: sat!
Ama sat on the mat. Can you sit? Now you sat!
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Blend: pin
p - i - n
Say it slowly: p... i... nnn.
Now say it fast: pin!
A pin is small and sharp. Be careful with pins.
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Blend: mat
m - a - t
Say it slowly: mmm... a... t.
Now say it fast: mat!
Kofi sleeps on a mat. What do you sleep on?
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Blend: tap
t - a - p
Say it slowly: t... a... p.
Now say it fast: tap!
Water comes from the tap. Tap the table three times.
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Blend: nap
n - a - p
Say it slowly: nnn... a... p.
Now say it fast: nap!
A nap is a short sleep. The cat has a nap in the sun.
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Blend: dad
d - a - d
Say it slowly: d... a... d.
Now say it fast: dad!
Dad starts with d and ends with d. Both the same!
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Blend: tin
t - i - n
Say it slowly: t... i... nnn.
Now say it fast: tin!
Mama keeps sugar in a tin. What is in your tin?
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Blend: map
m - a - p
Say it slowly: mmm... a... p.
Now say it fast: map!
A map shows us where places are. Ghana is on the map!
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Which word?
Listen to the sounds. Say the word.
s-i-t ... ?
p-a-n ... ?
d-i-p ... ?
Did you get sit, pan and dip? Well done!
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First sound game
A grown-up says a word. You say the first sound.
Sun? Sss!
Mango? Mmm!
Drum? D!
Now try: tin, pot, ant, nut.
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You can read!
You know eight sounds: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d.
You can blend them into words.
Sat. Pin. Mat. Tap. Dad. Tin. Map.
That is reading! Keep going.
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Learn more
- Jolly Phonics — the songs and actions used for s, a, t, i, p, n and more
- Alphablocks on CBeebies — letters that hold hands to make words
- Starfall — free letter sound and blending games
- Oxford Owl — free e-books and phonics help for parents
- Worldreader — free digital books for children in Ghana and beyond
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Watch more
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Think about it
- What sound does a snake make? Which letter makes that sound?
- Say your name. What is the first sound?
- Can you find something at home that starts with mmm?
- Say the sounds s-a-t fast. What word do you get?
- What action do you do for the sound d?
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This book is for reading on SchoolSpec and cannot be printed.