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I spy sounds

I spy sounds

Play I spy the phonics way — using sounds, not letter names. "I spy something beginning with s" (and you mean the ssss sound, not "ess").

Word Games Ages 3-7 Low energy 0-10 mins

Goal

Practise hearing and producing initial sounds through a game everyone already knows — with one small but important tweak.

You'll need

  • Digraphs & Trigraphs Flashcards
  • Split Digraph Flashcards

How to do it

Play I spy as normal, but say the sound, not the letter name. "I spy with my little eye something beginning with s" — that ssss sound, not "ess".

Once they've got the hang of single sounds, you can move to digraphs: "something beginning with sh" or "something with the ch sound". Use the flashcards to remind them what digraphs they know.

This is one of those activities that takes zero prep and can fill a five-minute wait anywhere. The slight phonics twist makes it genuinely useful without making it feel like anything other than I spy.

Grab our resources

Print our digraphs & trigraphs flashcards and split digraph flashcards to get started.

Digraph & Trigraph Flashcards

Digraph & Trigraph Flashcards

Split Digraph Flashcards

Split Digraph Flashcards

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