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I’m sure most of us turn to technology as one of the ways to entertain the Mini Mumblers at times and with all the weird and not-so-wonderful things children can stumble across on the internet, I am extremely cautious about what I let my two older children have access to when they’re on my tablet.
If I can find something they can watch to give me at least 5 minutes peace to drink a cup of tea, or better still something EDUCATIONAL, then the screen time guilt lifts and everybody wins!
Pre-Mumbler I was Head of Key Stage 1 in a Primary School in North Walsham, as well as being Phonics Lead, so I’d like to think I know just a little bit about the teaching of phonics and what works best…and Phonics Hero ticks all the boxes.
Norwich-based literacy company Phonics Hero is one of just six apps to be endorsed by the UK Government as part of their Hungry Little Minds Campaign after winning a competition by the Department for Education. The campaign was created as part of the government’s mission to ensure that every child gets “the best start in life” and to guide parents on which “apps and games can benefit your child’s learning.”
Children learn best when they are interested and engaged, when there’s rewards (I’m talking intrinsic rewards that boost confidence, not just things like stickers) and with repetition. Phonics Hero covers all of these things and lets parents keep an eye on their child’s progress at the same time without having to watch what they’re doing over their shoulder.
There’s over 30 hours of games and on first login you’ll be given the option to start from the beginning of the programme, or to take the Phonics Hero Placement Test, which will place them on the correct level.
My eldest turned 6 in August and she has been reading fluently for a while, so the app isn’t really necessary for boosting her reading skills, but she was so into playing Phonics Hero and got so excited about freeing superheroes that she actually played on it for some time.
Middle Mumbler is 3.5 years-old and has started to recognise quite a few sounds from attending Nursery. We played on the app together for quite a while and she really enjoyed matching the sounds, interacting with the games and her little face when she completed something was very sweet. She loved doing well!
I think Phonics Hero has all the elements necessary to improve reading skills and most importantly to boost confidence, which is a vital part of learning…everyone feels better when they feel they’re improving and doing well, don’t they!
Graphemes, digraphs, phonemes; there are so many jargon terms related to phonics that it can put parents off, but the Phonics Hero website has lots of great information for parents who are unsure about what synthetic phonics is, how to support their child by knowing how to pronounce the sounds and what makes a good reader. They also have someone on their Operations Team who helps parents to get the most of the programme, so make sure you get in touch if there’s something you’re not sure about.
What’s best is that you can do a 7 day FREE trial, so you can have a go and see what it’s all about and see if your own Mini Mumblers like it before signing up. There is also the option to buy worksheets, if you want something extra for your child to do.
The recommended age for Phonics Hero is between 4-7 years, but I would definitely have used this with Middle Mumbler before now and she doesn’t turn 4 until January. Every child is different and you know yours best; sometimes they’re not ready, sometimes they surprise you with what they can do!
I always think a good sign of children liking something is that they keep asking to do it and mine have both asked several times over the last few days whether they can play the games…and I feel doubly happy that they’re nowhere near any YouTube videos of children opening blumin’ eggs #win
For more information visit the Phonics Hero website.
Full disclosure: This was a paid review, but as always we only ever give our honest opinions!
