Phonetic Sound Mats

Sound games are essential in preparing the child for language. These activities are performed daily and form the foundation of the phonetic reading system used in the Montessori method. The idea behind playing sound games is to help the child recognize that every word has many sounds.

Includes:

• 25 sound mats, one for each letter of the alphabet ("x" is not included)
• word list
  

Each sound mat has 16 objects, 6 of which begin with the same phoneme. You can use counters to mark the objects that begin with the correct sound.

The letter X is pronounced K-S; it is 2 single phonetic sounds put together. If the X is at the beginning of a word, it makes the zzz sound (as in xylophone) or a sound like "eggs" (as in Xavier). But if it is at the end of a word, it makes the -cks sound. In the word 'Xerox', it makes both the 'z' sound and the 'cks' sound. It's a complicated concept for young children who are just learning the single phonetic sounds, so it is not included in this material.

Each mat prints on 8½" x 11" paper.

This file is in PDF format.