Phase One
Letters and Sounds aligned phase 1 planning and resources, designed to help you save time and teach phonics like a specialist.
Phase 1 is the first stage of phonics, and lays the foundation for future phonics learning. The primary focus is on developing speaking and listening skills to enable children to become ready for developing oral blending and segmenting skills.
Phase 1 is split into 7 aspects, though there is considerable overlap between these aspects. In this programme, aspects are introduced and practised in a carefully planned, non-linear manner so children are continually reintroduced to all the essential skills that make up the foundation of phonics learning.
Our phase 1 programme is perfect for key group teaching or an impromptu session when you have a spare 10 minutes before lunch. The easy-to-read plans require minimal resources, if any at all, and can easily be used by every staff member. Each week of our phase 1 phonics scheme comprises of 5 lessons that contain activities, songs and games. There are 10 weeks in total for phase 1, plus a phase 1 continuation guide to be used as long as is required.
Weeks
10 Weeks - 50 lessons
Sounds
Aspect 1, Aspect 2, Aspect 3, Aspect 4, Aspect 5, Aspect 7
Introduction to Phonics Scheme Phase 1

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What is learnt in phase 1 phonics?
- Aspect 1: General sound discrimination – environmental sounds - Children will learn to tune into different sounds in the environment.
- Aspect 2: General sound discrimination – instrumental sounds - Children will learn to use and create musical instruments to practise and promote the skills involved in speaking and listening.
- Aspect 3: General sound discrimination – body percussion - Children will develop awareness of sounds and rhythms.
- Aspect 4: Rhythm and rhyme- Children will experience and develop an awareness of rhythm and rhyme in speech, stories and music.
- Aspect 5: Alliteration- Children will develop a basic understanding of alliteration.
- Aspect 6: Voice sounds - Children will learn to tell the difference between vocal sounds.
- Aspect 7: Oral blending and segmenting - Children will begin to develop an understanding of oral blending and segmenting in words. They will hear and practise blending and segmenting.

What's included?
Time for Phonics provides teachers with a specialist created Letters and Sounds phonics scheme for phase 1, including:
- In-built teacher CPD videos
- Daily and weekly phonics planning, following the Letters and Sounds sequence of teaching.
- Accompanying low-prep phase 1 phonics resources.
Suitable for both phonics and non-specialists, with fresh ideas and inspiration,
Time for Phonics is a synthetic systematic phonics scheme for everyone!
In this first week of Phase 1, children will learn about Aspect 1: general sound discrimination – environmental sounds. Children will learn to tune into different sounds in the environment and learn simple rhyming songs such as “The Grand Old Duke of York, and go on a listening walk
Allow: 1:30 - 2:30 Hours
Sounds: Aspect 1
In this second week of Phase 1, children will learn about Aspect 2: general sound discrimination – instrumental sounds and Aspect 3: General sound discrimination – body percussion – Children will develop awareness of sounds and rhythms. Children will play a variety of musical instruments and learn to sing “Old MacDonald had a farm”.
Allow: 1:30 - 2:30 Hours
Sounds: Aspect 1, Aspect 2, Aspect 3
In this third week of Phase 1, children will learn about Aspect 2: general sound discrimination – instrumental sounds and Aspect 3: General sound discrimination – body percussion – Children will develop awareness of sounds and rhythms and Aspect 4: Rhythm and rhyme – Children will experience and develop an awareness of rhythm and rhyme in speech, stories and music. Children will make their own shakers and learn the song “Shake the sillies out”.
Allow: 1:30 - 2:30 Hours
Sounds: Aspect 1, Aspect 2, Aspect 3, Aspect 4
In this fourth week of Phase 1, children will learn about Aspect 2: general sound discrimination – instrumental sounds, Aspect 3: General sound discrimination – body percussion – Children will develop awareness of sounds and rhythms and Aspect 4: Rhythm and rhyme – Children will experience and develop an awareness of rhythm and rhyme in speech, stories and music.
Allow: 1:30 - 2:30 Hours
Sounds: Aspect 1, Aspect 2, Aspect 3, Aspect 4
In this fifth week of Phase 1, children will learn about Aspect 2: general sound discrimination – instrumental sounds, Aspect 4: Rhythm and rhyme – Children will experience and develop an awareness of rhythm and rhyme in speech, stories and music and Aspect 5:Alliteration- Children will develop a basic understanding of alliteration.
Allow: 1:30 - 2:30 Hours
Sounds: Aspect 2, Aspect 4, Aspect 5
In this sixth week of Phase 1, lessons will cover: Aspect 5: Alliteration – Children will develop a basic understanding of alliteration, Aspect 6: Voice sounds – Children will learn to tell the difference between vocal sounds, and Aspect 5: Alliteration- Children will develop a basic understanding of alliteration.
Allow: 1:30 - 2:30 Hours
Sounds: Aspect 3, Aspect 5, Aspect 6
In this seventh week of Phase 1, lessons will cover: Aspect 2: General sound discrimination – instrumental sounds – Children will learn to use and create musical instruments to practise and promote the skills involved in speaking and listening. Aspect 4: Rhythm and rhyme – Children will experience and develop an awareness of rhythm and rhyme in speech, stories and music and Aspect 6: Voice sounds – Children will learn to tell the difference between vocal sounds.
Allow: 1:30 - 2:30 Hours
Sounds: Aspect 2, Aspect 4, Aspect 6
In this eighth week of Phase 1, lessons will cover:
Aspect 2: General sound discrimination – instrumental sounds – Children will learn to use and create musical instruments to practise and promote the skills involved in speaking and listening.
Aspect 3: General sound discrimination – body percussion – Children will develop awareness of sounds and rhythms.
Aspect 5: Alliteration- Children will develop a basic understanding of alliteration and,
Aspect 6: Voice sounds – Children will learn to tell the difference between vocal sounds.
Children will make a toy trumpet, create an animal orchestra and play “I spy” – amongst other activities!
Allow: 1:30 - 2:30 Hours
Sounds: Aspect 2, Aspect 3, Aspect 5, Aspect 6
In this ninth week of Phase 1, lessons will cover:
Aspect 7: Oral blending and segmenting – Children will begin to develop an understanding of oral blending and segmenting in words. They will hear and practise blending and segmenting.
Aspect 3: General sound discrimination – body percussion – Children will develop awareness of sounds and rhythms.
Aspect 5: Alliteration- Children will develop a basic understanding of alliteration.
Children will listen to a sound-talking puppet, play a clapping sounds game, use a mirror to practise initial sounds and play silly soup.
This phase 1 phonics planning is aligned with the order of teaching in the Letters and Sounds framework, and is packed full of easy to prepare teaching input and phase 1 phonics resources to help children make progress in phonics.
Allow: 1:30 - 2:30 Hours
Sounds: Aspect 3, Aspect 5, Aspect 7
In this tenth week of Phase 1, lessons will cover:
Aspect 4: Rhythm and rhyme – Children will experience and develop an awareness of rhythm and rhyme in speech, stories and music.
Aspect 6: Voice sounds – Children will learn to tell the difference between vocal sounds.
Aspect 7: Oral blending and segmenting – Children will begin to develop an understanding of oral blending and segmenting in words. They will hear and practise blending and segmenting.
Children will play a game of “follow the beat” – either indoor or outdoors. They will also play “cross the river” to help them orally segment different sounds, as well as playing “voice sounds bingo” and a SATPIN sounds game.
Allow: 1:30 - 2:30 Hours
Sounds: Aspect 4, Aspect 6, Aspect 7

For full access to our unique games and resources