On Tuesday 5th September, BISP Reception parents were invited to attend a Phonics Workshop. While parents often know that reading is important for young learners, they often have forgotten ‘the formula’ of how reading actually works and thus struggle to guide their children as they begin to read. Did you know that reading requires two skills: ‘Phonics and word recognition’ and ‘understanding’ and only with both comes greater reading confidence?

Led by the BISP Reception team, Laura Smith, Emily Joos and Rashmita Khanijou, the workshop guided parents in their understanding of ‘What is Phonics?’,  gave an overview of the sounds and how to sound blend and how children will begin to learn sounds in Reception. Parents also did some dancing as they took part in our new Squiggle Whilst You Wiggle programme, which uses neurological and physiological movements to create marks whilst having lots of fun!

Parents were encouraged to enjoy reading books and learning sounds with their children as we embark on their child’s reading journey together.

Do you remember learning how to read?  How many phonemes are in the following words: CAR, SPEAKING or LATE? Can you recall the moment when the letters inked onto pages became sounds, and those sounds then became words?