2.5y–4.2y10 minMusicFree playFamily time
Silly Sound Starts: Alliteration Jingles
A playful sound game where the adult exaggerates initial sounds and helps your child notice and copy them, building listening attention to speech sounds through short, catchy jingles.
What you'll need
Essentials
- 3–8 everyday objects with clear names (e.g., spoon, sock, cup, book, ball, teddy)
Nice to have
- a mirror (to watch mouth shapes)
- paper and a crayon (to draw the ‘sound objects’ after)
Movement level: low
What you'll do
The 4-step guide, with what to look for at each step, is for signed-in parents.
What this develops
- MilestoneCompletes Familiar Story or Rhyme PhrasesMind· 20mo–2.7y· core· Step 3
- MilestoneListens and joins inMind· 2.3y–3.3y· core· Step 3
- MilestoneJoins in Singing Familiar SongsMind· 2y–3y· stretch· Step 3
- MilestoneStays focused during activityMind· 2.5y–3y· stretch· Step 4
- MilestoneExtends vocabulary, especially by grouping and naming, exploring the meaning and sounds of new words.Mind· 3.3y–5y· stretch· Steps 1, 2
What it practices
- Joins in with repeated refrains and anticipates key events and phrases in rhymes and stories.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Focusing attention – still listen or do, but can shift own attention.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Listens to others one to one or in small groups, when conversation interests them.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
Where it comes from
- Source
- Development Matters in the EYFS (DfE, 2012)
- Original guidance
- “When making up alliterative jingles, draw attention to the similarities in sounds at the beginning of words and emphasise the initial sound, e.g. “mmmmummy”, “shshshshadow”, “K-K-K-KKaty”.”
- License
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Attribution
- © Crown Copyright 2012 (Development Matters in the EYFS, DfE)