Sound Games (I Spy)
Sound games are spoken "I spy" games that teach a child to hear the sounds inside words. The adult sets out a few familiar objects and says "I spy something that begins with /mmm/", and the child finds the mug. They start at about 2.5, need no material, and come before the sandpaper letters.
Sourced from the texts, not yet presented at home
| Typical age | 2.5 to 4.5 years |
|---|---|
| Area | Language |
| Before this | Nothing. This lesson can come first. |
| Materials | No special materials |
| Direct aim | To hear the separate sounds in spoken words, starting with the first sound. |
| Control of error | The objects and the adult. With objects in view, a wrong choice is easy to see, and the adult simply says the right object's name and sound again. There's no correction and no score. |
| Leads to | Later lessons in this line are in preparation. |
| Time | Two to five minutes, often (our estimate). |
| Grouping | One child, or a few siblings together |
| Parent prep | None. Three small objects from around the house help at first. |
| Other names | I spy, I spy sound game, Oral sound games, Phonemic awareness games |
What the work teaches
Direct aim. To hear the separate sounds in spoken words, starting with the first sound.
Indirect aims, the ones you will not see at once
- Preparation for the sandpaper letters, which give each sound its shape
- Clear speech: hearing a sound said well before saying it
- Attention to how words sound as well as what they mean
- Vocabulary: the names of objects around the house
Set it out before you invite the child
No material. A tray or a cleared table with three small objects whose names begin with very different sounds. A mug and a sock, /m/ and /s/, make a good pair to start.
Sounds that can be stretched make the easiest start: /mmm/, /sss/, /fff/, /lll/. Short sounds such as /t/ and /b/ come later.
Use the sound only, never the letter name. Mug begins with /m/, not with "em".
The game itself is from the later albums. Montessori's books ask the adult to speak every sound of a word clearly, and to separate the sounds when teaching songs.
Presentation, step by step
- 1Set three objects in front of the child and name each one clearly: mug, sock, leaf.
- 2Say "I spy with my little eye something that begins with /mmm/," stretching the sound.
- 3Wait. When the child points to the mug, say "Mug. Mug begins with /m/."
- 4Play again with the other two objects, in a different order.
- 5Swap roles: let the child give a clue while you find the object.
- 6On later days, put the objects away and spy things around the room.
- 7Much later, play with the last sound of a word, then the middle, then every sound in a short word: /c/ /a/ /t/.
Details that hold the child's attention
Hearing the first sound of their own name.
Two objects that begin with the same sound.
Giving the clue and watching an adult search.
A word pulled apart into its sounds and put back together.
How the child sees a mistake
The objects and the adult. With objects in view, a wrong choice is easy to see, and the adult simply says the right object's name and sound again. There's no correction and no score.
The words come after the hands
| Words | Shown with |
|---|---|
| begins with | The phrase for the first sound of a word. |
| ends with | For the last sound, much later. |
| sound | What a word is made of. Use it instead of letter for now. |
| the names of the objects | Everyday words the child already knows or is just learning. |
The three-period lesson, scripted
You need three objects with very different first sounds: a mug, a sock, a leaf.
| Period | What you do and say |
|---|---|
| 1. Naming | "Mug begins with /m/. Sock begins with /s/. Leaf begins with /l/." |
| 2. Recognition | "Show me the one that begins with /s/." "Which one begins with /l/?" |
| 3. Recall | Point to the mug and ask "What sound does mug begin with?" |
Our suggestion. Expect the recall period to come last: finding the mug from its sound comes weeks before saying the sound.
Extensions and variations
- I spy with things around the room, no tray
- Last sounds: "I spy something that ends with /t/"
- Sorting a basket of objects into two groups by their first sound
- Rhyming pairs, such as cat and hat
- Whole words in sounds: "Can you bring me the /p/ /e/ /n/?"
Variations
- A car or bath-time version, spying things out of the window or in the tub
- An older sibling giving the clues to a younger one
Make it or buy it
| Material | Make it | Buy, approx. |
|---|
Prices noted . Approximate US street prices for home-use versions; they vary by maker and change often, so recheck before buying.
Making it at home
No material needed. A tray and three objects from around the house are enough to start.
What to check when buying a set
Nothing to buy. Object baskets sold for sound games are a convenience, not a need.
Printables for this age
This work needs only the material, so it has no printable of its own. The shelf plan below places it among the other works for the same age.
- Shelf plan for age 2PDF, 1 page, 325 KBEvery work for this age on one page, in order, with a column to date each presentation.
Every printable for one age, by email
The shelf plan and the lesson printables for your child's age in one email, then three short emails on the first lesson, what to make or buy, and what comes next.
Signs the child is ready, and signs it is done
Ready for the first presentation
- Speaks in sentences and names many everyday objects.
- Enjoys guessing and pointing games.
- Can sit for a minute or two with an adult and three objects.
- Notices rhymes or sounds in songs.
Ready for the next lesson
- Finds an object from its first sound every time.
- Gives a correct first-sound clue.
- Names the first sound of a new word without help.
- Hears the last sound too. That's the cue for the sandpaper letters.
Fitting it into a home, not a classroom
| If you have | Do this |
|---|---|
| Several children of different ages | The younger child spies by first sound; the older one gets last or middle sounds in the same game. |
| Busy days | Play in the car, at the table, in the bath. A minute here and there beats one long lesson. |
| A child learning two languages | Play in one language at a time, with the object names in that language. |
| A child who knows letter names from songs | Keep to sounds in this game. Letter names can wait; the sandpaper letters teach sounds too. |
When it does not go to plan
| When | Try this |
|---|---|
| The child guesses any object. | Use two objects instead of three, with sounds as different as /m/ and /t/. Stretch the sound longer. |
| The child says the letter name instead of the sound. | Say the sound back, without comment: "Mug begins with /m/." Keep using sounds yourself. |
| The child loses interest. | Stop while it's fun. Play again tomorrow, with objects the child loves. |
| Some sounds are said unclearly. | Say them clearly yourself, and don't ask the child to repeat. Montessori held that clear speech heard around the child shapes the child's own. |
Hazards to check before each session
Keep small objects out of reach of a baby sibling between games.
Where other sequences and standards place it
We have not bought the paid homeschool curricula, so they are not listed here.
| Framework | Where it sits |
|---|---|
| This site's Language sequence | Lesson 2 of 12 published. Checked in: the scope and sequence |
| Montessori, Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook (1914) | Training the ear to follow sounds prepares it for the sounds of speech; the teacher pronounces every sound clearly and separates them in songs. Checked in: Language and Knowledge of the World |
| Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework, preschool | P-LIT 1: the child demonstrates awareness that spoken language is composed of smaller segments of sound. Checked in: www.in.gov |
| Common Core, Kindergarten reading foundations | RF.K.2.d: isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel and final sounds in three-phoneme (CVC) words. Checked in: corestandards.org |
Sound games: questions parents ask
What are Montessori sound games?
Spoken games, usually "I spy", in which the child finds an object from its first sound. They train the ear before any letters appear. Later games use the last sound, then every sound in a word.
When should I start I spy with my child?
From about 2.5, once the child names plenty of objects. On this site sound games run to 4.5, alongside and after the sandpaper letters.
Should I use letter sounds or letter names?
Sounds. Mug begins with /m/, not "em". The sandpaper letters that follow are taught by sound too.
Are sound games in Montessori's own books?
Not as I spy. Montessori's books stress speaking each sound of a word clearly and training the ear for the sounds of speech. The I spy game comes from the later albums.
Sources cited by book and chapter
- Maria Montessori, Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook (1914)
Language and Knowledge of the World
To train the child's attention to follow and tell apart the sounds and noises around him is to prepare it to follow more accurately the sounds of articulate language.
The teacher must pronounce clearly and completely the sounds of the word when she speaks to a child, even in a low voice, almost as if telling him a secret.
When teaching songs the teacher pronounces slowly, separating the component sounds of the word pronounced.
Writing
A child whose ear is already educated recognizes one by one the component sounds of a clearly pronounced word, such as m-a-n-o, and looks for the letter for each.
- Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method (1912)
Chapter XVIII, Language in Childhood
In composing words the child divides the heard word, which he perceives as a whole and knows the meaning of, into its sounds and syllables.
Defects of language acquired in early childhood include an erratic pronunciation of the component sounds of words, picked up from hearing words imperfectly pronounced.
- Maria Montessori, The Montessori Elementary Material (1917)
Part II, Reading
When the child's attention has been fixed on the written word, he can be interested in hearing the sounds of the word pronounced by others and in pronouncing it himself.
Reviewed by
What to offer next
Once the child chooses this work unprompted and finishes it without help, the next lesson to prepare is Moveable Alphabet: Building First Words.
- Sandpaper Letters2.5 to 5 years
- Sound games2.5 to 4.5 years
- Moveable alphabet3.5 to 6 years
- Metal Insets3.5 to 6 years
- Pink series4 to 6 years