Alphabet Soup: Revising Sounds Through Play is a fun, hands-on activity designed to help students revise and reinforce their letter-sound knowledge through sensory-based phonics practise. By combining interactive play with early literacy skills, this resource supports phonemic awareness in an engaging and developmentally appropriate way. Perfect for small groups, literacy rotations, or individual practise, Alphabet Soup turns phonics into a playful and memorable experience.

Using sensory materials and letter or object cards, students scoop items into a pretend soup pot while identifying the initial sound of each object or letter. Whether using toys, magnetic letters, or the included cards, this activity encourages sound recognition through tactile learning. Students can take turns exploring sounds, building vocabulary and confidence as they stir up their alphabet soup. For added excitement, pair the game with a themed song and optional chef dress-ups to bring the experience to life!

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Identify and isolate initial sounds in spoken words
• ✅ Strengthen phonemic awareness and letter-sound correspondence
• ✅ Practise vocabulary building through interactive play
• ✅ Develop fine motor skills through scooping, tonging and sorting
• ✅ Foster creativity and oral language development through silly sentence creation

What’s Included:

• Printable letter cards for use in the sensory play soup
• Instructions for setting up the activity with sensory materials
• Ideas for adaptations and extensions based on skill level

Materials Needed:

• Large bowl, play tray or tub to serve as the soup pot
• Pom poms, beads, rice, stones or other sensory fillers
• Small toys or objects that represent beginning sounds
• Magnetic letters, letter tiles or included letter cards
• Ladles, spoons, tongs or tweezers
• Optional: aprons and chef hats for role-play fun

How to Use:

• Fill a bowl or play tray with sensory materials and small items or letter cards
• Students take turns scooping items and saying their names aloud
• Identify the initial sound of the item or letter
• Challenge students to find matching items or say a silly sentence using their item
• Use the activity to reinforce specific focus sounds or review the full alphabet

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Include as part of a literacy rotation during phonics instruction
• 💡 Use with small groups to target specific letter-sound focus areas
• 💡 Combine with a class song or rhyme for added engagement

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Add chef hats and aprons to make the experience feel like a real cooking adventure
• 💛 Hide letter cards and challenge students to match them with the correct initial sound
• 💛 Use themed objects (e.g., animals, food) to tie into classroom units or storybooks

Alphabet Soup: Revising Sounds Through Play offers an engaging, multisensory way to build letter-sound recognition while keeping students excited about phonics. Download today and make your literacy sessions fun, memorable and meaningful!