Short words like cat, pig and sun have a vowel sound in the middle: a, e, i, o or u. Hearing that middle sound is the last piece children need to sound out three-letter words on their own.
What your child will learn
- Hear the middle sound in three-letter words
- Match the middle sound to its vowel letter
- Blend first, middle and last sounds into a word
The vowels
The letters a, e, i, o and u are vowels. Every word has at least one. Vowel Valley starts with a, i and o, which sound the most different, before adding e and u.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. 🚐 v _ n — which letter is missing?
- o
- i
- a
Show answer
Answer: a. Say it slowly: v-a-n. The middle sound is “a”, so the word is van.
2. 🦇 b _ t — which letter is missing?
- o
- a
- i
Show answer
Answer: a. Say it slowly: b-a-t. The middle sound is “a”, so the word is bat.
3. 🗑️ b _ n — which letter is missing?
- i
- a
- o
Show answer
Answer: i. Say it slowly: b-i-n. The middle sound is “i”, so the word is bin.
Tips for grown-ups
- Say a word slowly with your child: “p-i-g”. What’s in the middle?
- Change the middle sound to make new words: cat, cot, cut.