Last-Minute Practice Ideas for Phonics Screening Month
As phonics screening checks approach, many educators are looking for ways to maintain energy, build confidence, and keep children engaged. At Teach Outdoors, we believe that outdoor learning isn’t just a breath of fresh air – it’s a powerful tool to support literacy development, especially during times of focused assessment like Phonics Screening Month.
If you’re searching for creative, kinaesthetic ways to consolidate phonics knowledge before the check, you’re in the right place. Here’s one of our favourite last-minute (and low-prep!) ideas that blends movement, nature, and sound recognition…
🌿 Nature Letter Gathering: A Simple & Effective Outdoor Phonics Game
What you need:
- Chalk or marker pens
- Natural items (leaves, sticks, stones, bark, etc.)
Step-by-Step:
- Gather your materials – Head outside with your class and collect nature items that have flat or writable surfaces. These might include stones, smooth leaves, large sticks or pieces of bark.
- Mark with phonics sounds – Using chalk or markers, write graphemes on the items. Choose sounds you know your learners need more practice with – from Phase 3 digraphs to Phase 5 alternatives.
- Hide and scatter – Place the items around your outdoor space. Get creative: tuck a ‘sh’ leaf into a bush, lay a ‘g’ rock on a log, or place a ‘ee’ stick near a tree.
- Go on a sound hunt – Challenge your learners to find as many phonics letters as they can. When they discover one, they say the sound aloud and think of a word that uses it.
- Build words together – Once some sounds are collected, challenge learners to arrange them on the ground to make simple CVC or CVCC words. Try making silly sentences or mini word trails!
- Reflect together – Finish with a discussion: What letters did we find? What was tricky? Which sounds do we need more practice with?
🎯 This activity boosts memory recall, sound discrimination, and blends physical engagement with cognitive challenge—perfect for visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners.
📚 But Does Outdoor Phonics Really Work?
Absolutely. Research supports that active, multi-sensory learning improves memory retention and supports deeper conceptual understanding – especially for early readers. According to the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), movement-based learning can have a positive impact on engagement and outcomes, particularly for children who struggle in more traditional classroom settings.
Phonics is all about sound–symbol correspondence, and outdoor activities like Nature Letter Gathering offer rich, contextual learning where children make meaningful links between phonemes, graphemes, and words—all while developing confidence and having fun.
Need More Active Phonics Ideas?
Explore our Active Phonics Resource – packed with engaging outdoor activities designed to embed phonics knowledge through play, movement, and real-world connection.
Whether you’re introducing new sounds or reinforcing key digraphs ahead of the screening check, you’ll find ready-to-go activities that work in playgrounds, fields, woodlands – or even your school garden.
