Jibber Jabber Phonics Club

21/08/2025

👩‍🏫 I often get asked: “How do you stop routine reading from getting boring?”
The answer is simple—make it playful! 🎲✨
Switch up books, use silly voices, act out stories, or let children choose what they want to read. These small tweaks keep routine reading exciting, and they make a huge difference in progress.
I’ve shared my favourite ideas (straight from the classroom!) in my new blog 👉
Why Routine Reading Makes a Huge Difference in Early Years – and How to Keep It Fun

Discover fun Early Years reading tips to boost literacy, build routines, and make storytime enjoyable for nursery, Reception, and homeschool children.

18/08/2025

📚✨ Did you know that just a few minutes of daily routine reading can completely transform early literacy skills?

I’ve seen it over and over in my own lessons—children become more confident, more curious, and much quicker at connecting sounds to words when reading is part of their everyday routine.

But here’s the best part: it doesn’t have to feel like a chore! With the right approach, reading time can be the highlight of the day. 💛

👉 Check out my latest blog: Why Routine Reading Makes a Huge Difference in Early Years – and How to Keep It Fun

Discover fun Early Years reading tips to boost literacy, build routines, and make storytime enjoyable for nursery, Reception, and homeschool children.

17/08/2025

✨ Why is daily reading such a game-changer in Early Years? 📚 Because it boosts phonics, vocabulary, concentration — and helps little ones love books for life! 💖

Whether you’re a nursery teacher, Reception teacher, preschool educator, or homeschooling parent, my latest blog is packed with easy, fun tips to make Storytime the best part of your day — plus quick activities you can start tomorrow. 🎉

Ready to bring stories to life and create confident readers? Dive in and click the link below 👉 Why Routine Reading Boosts Early Years Literacy Skills.

Discover fun Early Years reading tips to boost literacy, build routines, and make storytime enjoyable for nursery, Reception, and homeschool children.

27/07/2025

NEW BLOG: Why Decodable Texts Matter ✨
Ever wonder why decodable books are such a big deal in phonics? 🤔
They’re not just for sounding out — they help children truly read, build confidence, and strengthen their reading brain. 🧠📖
In this post, I share:
💛 What decodable texts are
🧠 How they help with orthographic mapping & fluency
🪢 What Scarborough’s Reading Rope has to do with it
📘 Why it’s so important to match books to your scope & sequence
It’s packed with practical tips if you’re working in Nursery, Reception or KS1!
👉 Read it here: https://jibberjabberphonics.com/why-decodable-texts-matter-confident-readers/
📬 Join the Jibber Jabber email list for more helpful tips: https://jibberjabberphonics.com/free-phonics-tips-and-tricks/
📅 Or book a fun and purposeful training session for your team!
Let’s make phonics powerful for every child. 💛

24/07/2025

🥳 Phonics Party Idea!
To celebrate the end of our phonics phase, we’re having a Sound Celebration!
🎉 Sound treasure hunt
🎶 Sing your favourite phonics song
🧁 Decorate cupcakes with initial sounds
My 1:1 learners especially love having fun ways to show off what they’ve learned—and honestly, my whole cohort has made such brilliant progress.
Well done all or you!

21/07/2025

I've just got back from the Jolly Phonics Trainers Conference – 3 amazing days packed full of inspiration, stories, and connections! ✨✏️🌍
It was such a joy to catch up with trainers from all over the world and hear how Jolly Phonics is making a real difference, especially in Africa where even the World Bank is getting involved to support literacy – incredible stuff!
A personal highlight was chatting with Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham – the fabulous authors of Jolly Phonics. Always such a treat to connect with them 💛
Also wanted to share two brilliant reading websites introduced at the conference – perfect for keeping children reading and engaged over the holidays:
📖 Bookzilla
📖 Empathy Lab
Both are full of fun, meaningful ways to support reading at home.

17/07/2025

📝 What I’ll Keep for Next Year…
I always love this time to reflect. This year, these were my game-changers in phonics:
✅ Consistent routines
✅ Fun Friday phonics challenges
✅ Mixing group and 1:1 time
Those short interventions really helped bring everyone along, and it’s been incredible to see every child move forward in their own way.
What will you keep or tweak next year?

10/07/2025

💭 End-of-Year Reflection: What Worked?
Looking back on this phonics journey, a few things really made a difference:
🔤 Daily revision games
🎶 Songs and actions
🧩 Hands-on activities
And for those who needed a boost, 1:1 intervention sessions worked wonders. Every child deserves to feel like a reader—and they do now ❤️
What worked well for you this year? Let’s swap ideas!

06/07/2025

✏️ “I can’t read what he’s written…”
That’s what the teacher said when two boys in Year 3 and 4 came to me for handwriting help.

I see this a lot. Their writing was hard to read — and the real issue? Pencil grip.

By the time they got to me, their grip was already fossilised! Too tricky to change completely, but with regular letter formation practice, their handwriting improved so much.

🧠 The key takeaway? Teach them how to hold a pencil properly early on — nursery and reception is the perfect time. Once habits set in, they’re much harder to shift.

I’ve written more about this (and how to make it fun!) on the blog.

Have a read: https://jibberjabberphonics.com/pencil-hold-for-young-learners/

Getting the pencil hold for young learners right from the start makes a huge difference in how confidently and comfortably they write later on. Over...

03/07/2025

🎉 Phonics Celebration Time!
📚✨ We’ve made so much progress this year with our phonics learning, and it’s time to celebrate!
From blending beginners to confident sentence writers, I’ve seen amazing growth in my learners—especially through 1:1 support. That extra bit of attention can make all the difference!
💬 How do YOU celebrate your class’s reading milestones? Certificates? Dress-up days? Share your favourite ideas in the comments 👇

30/06/2025

In June, fluent readers can start to cruise... but we want them to soar, right?

At my tuition centre, I set up a cosy little reading nook and launched a simple but magical idea — the Sticker Challenge.

✅ Borrow a book
✅ Return it with a mini review (spoken or drawn)
✅ Earn a sticker
🎁 5 stickers = a prize or a “Reading Star” badge

The kids were hooked!
And guess what? They even helped manage the mini library — tidying books, tracking who borrowed what, and picking a “Book of the Week.”

It gave them pride, purpose, and a genuine love of reading.

💬 Want the printable Sticker Challenge tracker? Just drop a “📖” in the comments or message me!

Let’s keep reading joyful right through to summer. 🌞