If you follow my website and social media posts, you will know that me and Jemima absolutely LOVE Sounds Right Phonics classes.
We have been going to Jennas classes in North Birmingham since she set up the franchise in January 2018. Check out some of the fun we have had in those classes, here:
https://smallhousebigtrips.co.uk/the-new-term-of-sounds-right-phonics/
https://smallhousebigtrips.co.uk/easter-party-sounds-right-phonics-st-james-church-centre/
https://smallhousebigtrips.co.uk/sounds-right-phonic-class-north-birmingham/
So, as you can guess, hearing that a new franchise (run by Fay) has been set up in Streetly, Tamworth and Lichfield, I may have been a little excited for the people who live in those areas.
Sounds Right Phonics classes have given Jemima the ability to read three letter words, identify her own name visually and begin mark making and letter formation. Jemima has just this month turned three, but she could do this aged 2 – with thanks to Sounds Right Phonics sessions.
We decided to head over to Fays (ages 2-5) preschool class last Friday in Streetly to see if it was as great as Jennas classes in North Birmingham. I’m pleased to say it was! And although I’ll be sticking to Jennas classes as they are closer to me, I’d be just as happy to travel to one of Fays classes. The owners of Sounds Right Phonics have picked their franchise holders very well. You have two working mums here who are rocking the phonics scene and are brilliant. Well done!
We arrived at Streetly Community and Sports Centre at 10:20 and made our way to the dance studio. As we were heading in, the Sounds Right Phonics Mini Class had just finished and the little ones aged under 2 were leaving the dance studio.
Fay welcomed us the moment we entered and immediately began to build a rapport with Jemima and myself. That’s the thing I find with these phonics classes, they’re for the children but adults are encouraged to join in too and from Fay building that rapport immediately, you feel confident and relaxed enough to join in.
The class starts with a welcome, the children choose their name cards and sit down on a coloured spot ready to sing the welcome song that’s sung at the start of every session. At the end of the song, the children have to post their names into a little red post box. This is a great opportunity for children to learn how to identify their own name written down and helps to give a sense of belonging in the group. It also gives everyone the opportunity to learn all of the childrens names.
Each week a new letter/sound is introduced. This week we were looking at the letter/sound ‘A’. To ensure all childrens learning styles are catered for, Fay uses a multi-sensory approach to teaching the sound. We had a song (auditory), an action (kinaesthetic) and a flash card with the letter on and also some items that begin with the sound (visual).
A game was then played with the sound which was great fun.
Gross Motor Skills are an important part of each lesson and Fay included activities that would help children to improve their gross motor skills in a game like fashion. Learning is always better when you don’t realise that you’re learning. We had various activities in the session that helped with this including the high energy action song (which parents get to join in and do too – my fitbits thankful of the extra steps) and we got to dance around with pom poms too. So much fun!
Just like gross motor skills, fine motor skills are important too and Sounds Right Phonics classes ensure that children develop further in this area too. In Fridays session the children used the pom poms to make letter formations in the air, lines up and down, circles. We also had a playdoh disco where our fingers danced in the playdoh, our hands squidged it and rolled it and children concentrated on the coordination of their hands and fingers with their eyes. There’s even some disco lights and music. Fine motor skills are essential for writing, so these activities are fantastic.
To learn to read and spell, you need the ability to blend and segment sounds. These classes help to teach an essential early phonics skill. The classes teach children to become proficient in putting sounds together and the ability to break them up orally so that they are ready and confident to read when they get to school – or even earlier in Jemimas case, with thanks to these classes.
Fay was a delight with a lot of passion for phonics and Jemima really enjoyed her session with her.
We wish you all the best in your classes Fay; Streetly, Tamworth and Lichfield are incredibly lucky to have you teaching their children. You’re a star!!
If you would like to book a place for your child or would like more information, please do check out Fays Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/Sounds-Right-Phonics-Classes-Lichfield-and-Tamworth-839705686421001/