Soft Sounds Games for 1st Graders

The Soft Side of Letters and Words

Letter sounds are divided into two types – hard sounds and soft sounds. Think about it, the letters “b” and “d” sound pretty hard when you sound them out phonetically, right? They’re the typical hard sounds. Certain letters like “c” and “g” are tricky because they have a hard and a soft sound. So, how does one figure them out? With practice, of course!

Soft sounds, especially in letters like “c” and “g,” are called second sounds because they are not the primary phonic sounds associated with the letters. “C” has a ‘ka’ phonic sound, while ‘g’ makes the sound ‘guh.’ However, the soft sounds sound like ‘see’ and ‘juh’ respectively.

To help your child practice the soft sounds better, try using some simple games to make a difference. First, show your child different words with the same soft sound – like cell and cent. Repeated practice with such words will help them get better. Do notice how the soft “c” sound is usually followed by the letter “e.” That is a general rule in most soft “c” words. The same applies to the soft “g” as well.

To help demonstrate the concept of loud or hard and soft letters:

• Try and teach your kids the difference between the two.
• Help them talk loudly and softly.
• Help them clap loudly and softly. When they notice the difference between both, they will also understand the same in letters.

Motivating your Soft Speller

The sounds and their forms can be confusing, and you may find your child start to give up when they struggle. Let go and revisit the concept another day if you notice it becomes too much for your kids.

Making it fun and building games into learning help eliminate the stress. SplashLearn’s interactive online learning games allow your child to practice extensively and learn in a fun-filled environment.

Is there something we missed out? Write to us at [email protected] with your feedback and comments. We love to hear from you and improve the learning experience for your kids.