Snow‑Day Outdoor Phonics Activities
For Year 1 – Phase 5 (Essential Letters and Sounds)
Due to the snow, school is closed today. There is no expectation for formal learning, but if you would like to do a little phonics with your child, here are some optional, outdoor phonics activities you could enjoy together.
They are designed to be short, playful and practical, using the winter weather as an opportunity for learning while getting some fresh air. Even a few minutes of talking about sounds and words is helpful.
❄️ 1. Snowball Grapheme Hunt
How to play:
- Choose a sound your child is learning (Flashcards- sound specific ), for example /ai/.
- Write the different spellings on paper or the ground:
- Hide them around the garden or outdoor space.
- Call out a word (e.g. day, rain, cake).
- Your child finds and points to the grapheme (flash card or written sound) that fits the word.
Talk about:
“Why does this word use ay instead of ai?”
⛄ 2. Build‑a‑Word Snowman
How to play:
- Draw large circles or “snowballs” on the ground.
- Say a Phase 5 word and ask your child to ‘build it’ by writing the graphemes.
Example words:
- snowy
- floating
- bright
- winter
☃️ 3. Snowy Sentence Walk
How to play:
- Write a simple sentence on paper strips and place each word outside in order.
- The snow is bright and white.
- Your child walks along, reading each word.
- Ask them to spot:
- Harder to read and spell words within the sentence.
Extra challenge: Can the children spot the adjectives in the sentence?
❄️ 4. Outdoor Writing: Winter Caption
What to do:
- Look at the outdoor scene: snow, frost, breath in the air.
- Talk the sentence aloud first.
- Encourage your child to write a caption, for example:
- The ice on the path is slippery.
- The snow looks beautiful in the light.
Remind your child to:
- Say each word aloud
- Make spelling choices using their Phase 5 knowledge
- Use capital letters and full stops
Here are some videos to help with phoneme pronunciation:
Phase 3:
Phase 5:
✅ Helpful Tips for Parents
- It’s okay if spelling isn’t perfect – phonically plausible spellings are encouraged.
- Praise effort, not speed.
- Short, active sessions (10–15 minutes) are ideal!
❄️ Have fun learning outdoors and enjoy the snow!
Your child is still making great progress in phonics just by talking, reading, and playing with sounds.