Words can start with the same sound — Language, 4–6 years
Listen to the first sound in a word. When two words begin alike, your ears can notice the link before you see any letters.
Listen at the beginning
Say a word slowly and notice how it begins. Sun and sock start with the same mouth sound, while cat starts differently. You can hear this sameness even when the things are not alike.
Why notice it?
At first, a child meets speech as a stream of sound. Hearing its small parts helps you tell words apart and later connect a sound to a written letter. The problem is that a sentence can rush past too quickly to notice its pieces.
Try three words
Take the words moon, mouse and fish. First, say moon and mouse slowly: both begin with the sound m. Next, say fish: it begins with a different sound. So moon and mouse go together, while fish does not.
The picture can distract you
A common mistake is to group words because the things belong together, such as dog and bone. That is reasonable: our minds notice meaning very quickly. But this game asks about the sound at the start, so dog and door belong together more closely than dog and bone.
A listening game
You can use first sounds while putting away toys or shopping. Pick one sound and find three things whose names begin with it, such as ball, book and bottle. The game trains careful listening without needing a screen or a worksheet.
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