Letter & Sound Explorer

What this practises: recognising letters (upper and lower case), linking letters to their most common initial sound, and spotting the first sound in a simple word.

Suggested age range: approximately 3–5 years, though older children who need extra phonics support may enjoy it too.

How adults can help: say the letter's sound out loud together (not just its name) — "mmm" for M, not "em". Little and often works best; a few minutes is plenty.

What to try next: once your child is confident spotting beginning sounds here, Beginning Sounds practises the same skill with a wider range of words.