The Exciting Journey of Phonics in Reception

There is something magical about the moment a child realises that the marks on a page can carry a message, tell a story or share an idea. In Reception, this exciting journey begins with Read, Write, Inc. (RWI) Phonics. What a transformative year it will be!

Over the course of the year, children make remarkable progress. They begin by learning individual single-letter sounds and gradually learn to blend sounds to read words, write sentences and enjoy short books independently. By the end of Reception, children are beginning to discover the wonderful power of print: “I can read it!” “I can write it!” “I can share my ideas!”

We have already begun our daily whole-class phonics sessions, introducing the children to the Set 1 sounds. The children are responding with great enthusiasm and are enjoying learning the sounds, practising their associated rhymes and beginning to spot familiar sounds in words.

But our phonics learning doesn't stop when the whole-class session ends! Sounds, letters and words are everywhere. Throughout the day, children encounter playful opportunities to practise and apply their growing knowledge. They might notice a familiar sound in a story, make marks and write during their play, build words with magnetic letters, or create their own signs, labels and messages.

Some of the most meaningful phonics learning happens when children create these opportunities for themselves. As their curiosity about letters and words grows, we see them experimenting with sounds, testing out their ideas, writing for a purpose and proudly sharing their discoveries with others.

Phonics opens up a whole new world for children. As their reading skills develop, they become increasingly independent in exploring stories, information and the print they see around them. At the same time, writing gives them a powerful new way to communicate their thinking, imagination and ideas.

This year, we will watch our Reception children make the incredible journey from sounds to words, from words to sentences, and from sentences to stories and ideas. We can't wait to see where their growing confidence as readers and writers takes them!

By Nichole Henderson

Reception Leader, Dolphins Class Teacher

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