Phase 2 phonics in continuous provision

Phonics lessons are short and sharp. But the real practice happens when children choose to use their sounds on their own, in play.

Here are the low-prep ways I bring this week's sounds into every area.

• Sand: buried magnetic letters to dig up and sound out
• Water: floating ducks with this week's graphemes on the bottom
• Mark making: a "sound of the day" clipboard to hunt and draw
• Outdoors: chalk sounds on the playground for hopscotch

It's tempting to put the whole alphabet out. Don't. Four sounds, everywhere, all week is far more powerful than twenty-six sounds nobody looks at.