First sound fluency games and interventions are fun. First sound fluency is one of the early tests for students but did you every wonder why? Why is first sound fluency important? It is a good predictor of phonemic awareness which is important to build good reading skills. First sound fluency worksheets are great to help build that skill. These games are easy enough for children to be independent but rigorous enough to help strengthen the skills.

Why Teach First Sounds?

According to Louisa Moates and Carol Tolman, “phonological skill develops in a predictable progression.” If these skills are weak it may cause a child to struggle in reading. Dibels or Acadience as it is now called uses First Sound Fluency as a universal screener for kindergarten and first grade students. These activities will help your students master this skill.

Other activities that you can do at school or at home include:

Have children name two items you show an decide if they have the same sound or not.

Ask what sound do you hear at the beginning of common words.

Ask children what things start with the same sound as their name.

Say a sound and ask students to name a word that starts with the same sound.

These will all build your child’s skill in this area.

This resource pairs well withIdentifying Medial Sounds in Words