--- title: "Phonics in Nursery" url: "https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/nursery/phonics-in-nursery" school: "Maryport Church of England Primary School" --- # Phonics in Nursery **![](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/images/menu/Maryport-87.jpg)As children start our Nursery setting, they will have a daily phonics session. Nursery children will be working within phase 1 although some children may progress onto the early part of phase 2 towards the end of their time in Nursery.** **Phonics - Phase One** Phase One phonics concentrates on developing children's speaking and listening skills and lays the foundations for the phonic work which starts in Phase 2. The emphasis during Phase 1 is to get children attuned to the sounds around them and ready to begin developing oral blending and segmenting skills. Phase 1 is divided into seven aspects. Each aspect contains three strands: tuning in to sounds, listening and remembering sounds and talking about sounds. It is intended that each of the first six aspects should be dipped into, rather than going through them in any order, with a balance of activities. Aspect 7 will usually come later, when children have had plenty of opportunity to develop their sound discrimination skills. **Aspect 1 - General sound discrimination - environmental** The aim of this aspect is to raise children's awareness of the sounds around them and to develop their listening skills. Activities suggested in the guidance include going on a listening walk, drumming on different items outside and comparing the sounds, playing a sounds lotto game and making shakers. **Aspect 2 - General sound discrimination - instrumental sounds** This aspect aims to develop children's awareness of sounds made by various instruments and noise makers. Activities include comparing and matching sound makers, playing instruments alongside a story and making loud and quiet sounds. **Aspect 3 - General sound discrimination - body percussion** The aim of this aspect is to develop children's awareness of sounds and rhythms. Activities include singing songs and action rhymes, listening to music and developing a sounds vocabulary. **Aspect 4 - Rhythm and rhyme** This aspect aims to develop children's appreciation and experiences of rhythm and rhyme in speech. Activities include rhyming stories, rhyming bingo, clapping out the syllables in words and odd one out. **Aspect 5 - Alliteration** The focus is on initial sounds of words, with activities including I-Spy type games and matching objects which begin with the same sound. **Aspect 6 - Voice sounds** The aim is to distinguish between different vocal sounds and to begin oral blending and segmenting. Activities include Metal Mike, where children feed pictures of objects into a toy robot's mouth and the teacher sounds out the name of the object in a robot voice - /c/-/u/-/p/ cup, with the children joining in. **Aspect 7 - Oral blending and segmenting** In this aspect, the main aim is to develop oral blending and segmenting skills. To practise oral blending, the teacher could say some sounds, such as /c/-/u/-/p/ and see whether the children can pick out a cup from a group of objects. For segmenting practise, the teacher could hold up an object such as a sock and ask the children which sounds they can hear in the word sock. ### Classes - [Tiny Acorns- baby and toddler group](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/tiny-acorns-baby-and-toddler-group) - [Little Acorns 2 year olds](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/little-acorns-2-year-olds) - [Nursery and Reception - Willow](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/nursery) - [Phonics in Nursery](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/nursery/phonics-in-nursery) - [Year 1 - Birch Class](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/year-1-2-birch-class) - [Year 2 - Lime Class](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/year-2-rowan-class) - [Pine Class Year 3 & 4](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/pine-class-year-3-4) - [Ash Class - Year 3 & 4](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/ash-class-year-3-4) - [Juniper Class - Year 3 & 4](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/juniper-class-year-3-4) - [Beech Class - Year 5 & 6](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/beech-class-year-5-6) - [Maple Class - Year 5 & 6](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/maple-class-year-5-6) - [Oak Class - Year 5 & 6](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/oak-class-year-5-6) ![Maryport Church of England Primary School](https://files.schudio.com/maryport-junior-school/images/logo/Untitled_design_(60).png) #### Maryport Church of England Primary School Camp Road Maryport CA15 6JN 01900 812299 #### Useful Links: - [Term Dates](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/termdates) - [Ofsted Report](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/about-us/school-performance-ofsted) - [Admissions Arrangements](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/policies) - [Uniform Information](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/key-information/uniform) #### Other Links: - [Parent Guidance](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/safeguarding/parent-guidance) - [Policies](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/policies) - [Curriculum](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/about-us/curriculum) #### Social Media - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/p/Maryport-Church-of-England-Primary-School-100057178340855/?locale=en_GB) © Copyright 2019–2026 Maryport Church of England Primary School School & Trust Websites by [ ![Schudio logo](https://www.maryport.cumbria.sch.uk/img/logo/light.png) ](https://www.schudio.com/)