Here’s a set of extra large picture and word cards to help children with (or without) Down Syndrome learn to sound out words. Children with DS have poor visual acuity, which means they see everything in soft focus, even when wearing eyeglasses. This can impact their ability to read, especially if the font is too small. I made these for a student in our Down Syndrome Co-op who really started to make progress once he could see the letters.

These cards are a supplement to First Steps with Phonics, books 1-4, which are free on this blog. They’re also a great supplement for those starting phonics with Raising Robust Readers.

Here’s a sample:

We begin phonics with AY words because, unlike CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant words), AY words only have TWO sounds to blend (a clever idea from Raising Robust Readers.)

Download the AY cards here for free:

To see how I use them to teach blending, see this post: How to Teach Children with Down Syndrome to Sound Out Words

A complete set of blending cards that align with First Steps with Phonics books 1-3 are available at Teachers Pay Teachers. These cover the vowel teams: AY, AI, EE, IGH, OE, OA, and EIGH.

Next post: First Steps with Phonics Decodable Readers in extra large font for the visually impaired