Presentation

  1. 1

    Place the objects on the table and name them together.

  2. 2

    Segmenting: pick up the cup and say, "Let's say every sound in cup: /k/ /u/ /p/." Push one counter forward for each sound.

  3. 3

    Ask the child to choose another object and say all its sounds, pushing a counter for each.

  4. 4

    Blending: say, "I am thinking of something on the tray: /s/ /u/ /n/." Wait for the child to say "sun" and point to it.

  5. 5

    If the child cannot blend, say the sounds again closer together until they join.

  6. 6

    Alternate between segmenting and blending until the tray is done.

  7. 7

    Play the same game with no objects present.

Extensions, easiest to hardest

  1. Blending with no objects present ("/d/ /o/ /g/, what word is that?")
  2. Segmenting four-sound words with blends (frog: /f/ /r/ /o/ /g/)
  3. Robot talk: children give each other directions in separated sounds ("Get your /h/ /a/ /t/")

Control of error

The objects on the tray (the child can check the blended word against the object). Otherwise the adult.

Ready to move on when the child…

  • Says all three sounds of a CVC word in order without objects
  • Blends three spoken sounds into a word
  • Segments a word the child chooses for themselves

Try “pink tower”, “tummy”, “diaper”, “grace and courtesy”, or “October”.