Last week, hundreds of Monster Phonics toys made their way to primary schools and nurseries across the UK. Knowing the impact the toys had in sample schools, the Monster Phonics team could not wait for this next dimension in phonics teaching to begin.
Professor David Waugh, Durham University explains, “It’s all making phonics real for children and reinforcing phonics throughout the school. The colour-coding of the monsters is an extra aid to remembering the sounds and the monsters themselves engage younger children.”
“In Monster Phonics, each monster represents a sound,” says Ingrid Connors, founder of the programme. “So for example, the red monster makes the A sound and colours all the graphemes that make this sound, red. Through this, children are much more able to learn phonics and remember it. The results in schools have been fantastic. The growth in confidence is amazing too. Now that they are toys as well, we are truly bringing phonics to life in lessons. The children are so engaged, they are learning and revising what they have learnt without even realising this. This is how learning should feel. Engaging and meaningful leading to progress. We are a very happy team at Monster Phonics today!”
Not only do the toys help children to learn and remember phonics, but for some children, the connection goes a little deeper. It gives them confidence to read aloud or talk about sounds which they wouldn’t normally feel confident or comfortable to do.
School Success Manager, Lesley Denby agrees. “I feel very privileged to have been into our sample schools and nurseries when the toys have been introduced to the children. Seeing the journey of awe and wonder as the children meet the toys is extremely special. Traditional phonics learning has been uninspiring, and it is fantastic to see the toys bring the Monster Phonics world to life, creating high engagement and a positive effect on learning.”
To see the improved engagement, understanding of phonics and confidence in learning, take a free trial of Monster Phonics at monsterphonics.com. If your school has already signed up to a scheme, contact info@monsterphonics.com to see how we can help. Toys and other classroom resources are now available in our online shop.