Toddler's Galaxy
Phonics is the link between a letter and the sound it makes: B says "buh", S says "sss". Before children can use that link, they need to hear sounds inside words, which is why early phonics play is mostly listening. The phonics games in Toddler's Galaxy start there and build up to letters and short words.
Three ways to play with sounds
First Sound Hunt
Twinkle says a letter and its sound, such as "B says buh", and your child finds the picture that starts with that sound. Level one uses animals; later levels add fruit, vehicles and birds, so there are more pictures to choose between.
Phonics Speller
Your child sees a picture and builds its name from letter tiles, one letter at a time. The words stay short for younger children: three letters at age three, four at age four, and longer words from age five. You set your child's age in the Parent Corner.
Listen & Find
Twinkle says a word and your child finds its picture, with no written clue. It's pure listening, which is the first step in phonics.
Letter sounds on every alphabet card
In Alphabet Castle, each letter card shows a picture word ("A is for Apple"), and the letter can be traced with a finger. Seeing the letter, hearing the word, and tracing the shape all point at the same sound.
Sound games to play together
The best phonics practice for a three-year-old often happens in the car or the kitchen. Try these alongside the app:
- I spy with sounds. "I spy something that starts with mmm." Use the sound, not the letter name.
- Silly names. Change the first sound of family names: "Mummy, Bummy, Tummy". Children love hearing words break.
- Clap the beats. Clap once for "cat", twice for "ti-ger", three times for "el-e-phant".
- Rhyme time. Nursery rhymes are full of words that sound alike. Pause before the rhyming word and let your child fill it in.
Our stories and rhymes page has more ideas for reading and singing together.
A note on letter names and letter sounds
Toddlers often learn the alphabet song first, so they know letters by name ("bee", "see"). Phonics uses sounds instead ("buh", "kuh"). Both are useful. If your child says "bee" when you point at B, you can add: "Yes, and it says buh, like ball."
Toddler's Galaxy reads sounds and words with your device's built-in voice. Voices differ a little between phones, tablets and computers, so a sound may not be exactly how you'd say it. Your own voice is still the best model.