The Sound Game

Like I've promised before, I will write about the sound game which is one of the Montessori approach to literacy for children.

I've been playing this game with Abdullah for a few weeks. And sometimes we didn't even follow exactly the directions but still I can see that my son is progressing bit by bit. Mashaa Allah you just keep playing playing and playing this game whenever and wherever you want and gradually you can see that your child is actually acquiring something subhanallah. You barely need anything to play the game! Just play, laugh and have fun!

The book (Montessori Read & Write) suggests that you can start playing the game from the age of 2 and a half on. I simply think because at this age a child already has an ample developing vocabulary which he manages to speak in sentences of three to four words or maybe more. Even if your child is older than 2 and a half when you start, you should still begin with level 1 and move her at her own pace through the different levels of the game.

This game will help to make your child aware of the sounds that can make up words. Play it as often as you can; it is one of the most important ways of preparing her for both writing and reading. Make sure you say the sounds correctly!

There are six levels to the game (although we used to play level 1 to level 3 randomly). I'll start with level 1.

What you will need

Gather together a few objects which your child can name and put them on a table in front of you. In the beginning, avoid objects that start with similar sounds, such as 'p' and 'b' , 'v' and 'w'.

Purpose

To help your child to hear individual sounds at the beginning of words.

How to Play

Choose one of the objects, for a example a pen, and hold it out to show it to your child.

'I spy with my little eye something in my hand beginning with 'p'.'

Your child will say 'pen'. Confirm that she is right. Yes, 'p' for pen. Change the object and change the place where it can be found to keep the game interesting.

She will quickly grasp the rules of the game and happily tell you the names of the objects you are asking for. You will probably need to play this stage of the game for several weeks (or maybe more) before she actually makes the connection between the sound that you say and the sound at the beginning of the object you have chosen. When she appears to be beginning to listen to the sounds, you can move on to level 2.

p/s : at first I felt like my son will never make the connection between those sounds but alhamdulillah he's getting it. for instance, if I asked him to tell me the words that start with the sound 'beh' (b) and nothing popped up at that time, he will just say 'bekasut' or whatever appeared to be in front of him and he just add the sound 'beh' at the front LOL! For me, it's a sign that he can connect the sounds because on the early days we played the game and I asked him to tell me words that start with 'keh' (k) for example, he will say 'gigi' 'buku' 'atuk' etc which is incorrect.

Please make sure you say the alphabet's sound and not the alphabet's name.