Alphablocks is a step-by-step reading programme grouped neatly into five colour-coded levels. Each level introduces new letters and letter teams along with new phonics ideas and key skills. Alphablocks uses best-practice systematic synthetic phonics developed with literacy experts and aligned to the EYSF (Early Years Foundation Stage) framework and KS1 curriculum. It is compatible with all major UK reading schemes and has helped millions of young children around the world to learn to read.
Level one is all about recognising the sounds that each letter makes. Children meet the letters in an order that allows them to start making words straight away − using sounding out and blending skills: saying the sounds that each letter makes and blending them together to make words. This level also helps children master the key skill of segmenting, breaking words they hear down into letter sounds.
Level two introduces the less common letters and rounds out the alphabet. Once your child knows all their letters and letter sounds, they can enjoy making and reading lots of simple words. They'll also meet the capital letters and letter names.
Level three introduces children to letter teams − two letters that join to make one sound, such as sh and ch, oo and ee. These are also known as digraphs. And they meet three-letter teams, such as igh and air − also known as trigraphs.
Level four is all about letter blends − two consonants that make both of their sounds when they appear together (instead of a new single sound). Blends can be at the start of a word (such as st-, bl- or tr-) or at the end (such as -nd, -mp and -sk ). And there are three letter blends too: (such as spl- and str-) They are also known as consonant clusters.
Level five is a big step − time to discover that there are different ways to make the long vowel sounds. We meet Magic E, who shows how split digraphs work: a vowel and e combine to make the long vowel sound (such as a-e in cake and o-e in home). And children complete their journey from meeting the alphabet to reading words like 'alphabet' with confidence.
The Alphablocks are 26 living letters who discover that when they hold hands and make a word, it comes magically to life. In a world that runs on phonics, each Alphablock's personality revolves around the unique and highly memorable way they make their letter sound.
A says a! when an apple falls on her head: a!
A is accident-prone. She often falls out of the sky − aaa! − or trips over − a! And apples keep falling on her head − a!
A is stripy because she's one of the five vowels: AEIOU.
B says b-b-b when she plays her big blue bass guitar: b!
B is the leader of the BAND and she likes to bop and boogie. She is bold and brave and can be a bit bossy.
C says c! and makes a crack whenever she walks: c!
C can crack anything so she has to be careful. She is courageous and can do cool cartwheels. She sometimes calls K a copycat for making the same sound.
D says d-d-d when he plays the drums: d!
D drums all day and his drumming is delightful, but he sometimes makes a deafening din!
He's in the BAND with his sister D and they often disagree.
E says e-e-e when he makes an echo: e!
E is full of energy and calls everyone with his big loudhailer, echoing e-e-e! Excuse me, everyone!
E is stripy because he's one of the five vowels: AEIOU.
F says fff when she has fun flying: f!
F is a frequent flier: she has fantastic fun jetting around with puffs of air and floating like an astronaut in space.
Fabulous!
G says g-g-g when she glugs a glass of water: g!
When G glugs a glass of water, her green hair grows like grass.
G is good at gardening.
H says h-h-h when she hurries and huffs and puffs: h!
H loves to stay healthy by hiking up hills.
She's happy and helpful and always says hello.
I is so important she sings a loud iii sound! i!
I thinks she's incredibly important and interesting.
I is stripy because she's one of the five vowels: AEIOU.
J says j! when she jumps like a jolly jaybird: j!
J thinks she's a jolly jaybird but she just can't fly or sing!
She jumps up and lands with a judder: j-j-j! The only way she can fly is in a jet.
K says k when he kicks his ball: k!
K wears a football kit and is king of kicking: he plays keepie-uppy and keeps his ball in the air for as long as possible.
L says l-l-l when she sings a lovely lullaby: l-l-l!
L loves to sing − and her lullabies often lull the others to sleep.
M says mmm when he munches things: m!
M has had many marvellous meals − and once, he even managed to munch the moon.
N says n-n when he shakes his head to say no: n!
N loves to say No! No way! Not now! Never!
He is not naughty but he says no to nearly everything.
O says o! when he sees something odd − which is all the time: o!
Orange O often spots odd objects and says o! In fact, he only ever says o!
O is stripy because he's one of the five vowels: AEIOU.
P says p! when she pops in and out: p!
P is a pixie who appears with a pop.
She is popular because she always pops in at the perfect time to help.
Quiet Q needs U to make her qu! sound: qu!
Quick! Q is on a quest to find U. When she finds him, she is quite proud, like a queen. Sometimes they quarrel, but they’re quite good friends really.
R says rrr when she roars: r!
R is a red pirate who is always ready to ride in on a rope to rescue her friends with a roar: rrr!
S says sss when she sags and all the air goes out of her: sss!
Then S pumps herself up with her foot: s-s-s! And soars into the sky.
S is sometimes sensible and sometimes silly.
T says t! when he tut-tuts: t!
He loves tea and he tut-tuts when he tips up his teapot and finds out it's empty: t!
T will tell you that tea is terrific and tip-top − but running out of tea is terrible.
U says u! when he thinks life is unfair: u!
Unlucky U often ends up upside-down and unhappy. But he soon cheers up!
U is stripy because he's one of the five vowels: AEIOU.
V says vvv when he vrooms around: v!
V likes to vroom around very, very fast. He doesn't need a van or any other vehicle − he just holds his steering wheel and vrooms off.
W says w-w-w when he weeps: w!
W is very weepy, and often wails and weeps without warning.
When he weeps, his head fills with water until the water washes out in a big wave.
X says x-x-x when he uses his x-ray vision: x!
Exciting X is a superhero who uses his x-ray vision to see when Alphablocks need rescuing.
Y says y! when he says yes: y!
Young, yellow Y likes to say yes to everything. And yippee! And yahoo! And yay!
Z says z when he is snoozing: zzzzz!
Z is old and tired but he zips and zooms about before dozing off for a snooze: zzzzz!
Wake up, Z!
A says a! when an apple falls on her head: a!
A is accident-prone. She often falls out of the sky − aaa! − or trips over − a! And apples keep falling on her head − a!
A is stripy because she's one of the five vowels: AEIOU.
B says b-b-b when she plays her big blue bass guitar: b!
B is the leader of the BAND and she likes to bop and boogie. She is bold and brave and can be a bit bossy.
C says c! and makes a crack whenever she walks: c!
C can crack anything so she has to be careful. She is courageous and can do cool cartwheels. She sometimes calls K a copycat for making the same sound.
D says d-d-d when he plays the drums: d!
D drums all day and his drumming is delightful, but he sometimes makes a deafening din!
He's in the BAND with his sister D and they often disagree.
E says e-e-e when he makes an echo: e!
E is full of energy and calls everyone with his big loudhailer, echoing e-e-e! Excuse me, everyone!
E is stripy because he's one of the five vowels: AEIOU.
F says fff when she has fun flying: f!
F is a frequent flier: she has fantastic fun jetting around with puffs of air and floating like an astronaut in space.
Fabulous!
G says g-g-g when she glugs a glass of water: g!
When G glugs a glass of water, her green hair grows like grass.
G is good at gardening.
H says h-h-h when she hurries and huffs and puffs: h!
H loves to stay healthy by hiking up hills.
She's happy and helpful and always says hello.
I is so important she sings a loud iii sound! i!
I thinks she's incredibly important and interesting.
I is stripy because she's one of the five vowels: AEIOU.
J says j! when she jumps like a jolly jaybird: j!
J thinks she's a jolly jaybird but she just can't fly or sing!
She jumps up and lands with a judder: j-j-j! The only way she can fly is in a jet.
K says k when he kicks his ball: k!
K wears a football kit and is king of kicking: he plays keepie-uppy and keeps his ball in the air for as long as possible.
L says l-l-l when she sings a lovely lullaby: l-l-l!
L loves to sing − and her lullabies often lull the others to sleep.
M says mmm when he munches things: m!
M has had many marvellous meals − and once, he even managed to munch the moon.
N says n-n when he shakes his head to say no: n!
N loves to say No! No way! Not now! Never!
He is not naughty but he says no to nearly everything.
O says o! when he sees something odd − which is all the time: o!
Orange O often spots odd objects and says o! In fact, he only ever says o!
O is stripy because he's one of the five vowels: AEIOU.
P says p! when she pops in and out: p!
P is a pixie who appears with a pop.
She is popular because she always pops in at the perfect time to help.
Quiet Q needs U to make her qu! sound: qu!
Quick! Q is on a quest to find U. When she finds him, she is quite proud, like a queen. Sometimes they quarrel, but they’re quite good friends really.
R says rrr when she roars: r!
R is a red pirate who is always ready to ride in on a rope to rescue her friends with a roar: rrr!
S says sss when she sags and all the air goes out of her: sss!
Then S pumps herself up with her foot: s-s-s! And soars into the sky.
S is sometimes sensible and sometimes silly.
T says t! when he tut-tuts: t!
He loves tea and he tut-tuts when he tips up his teapot and finds out it's empty: t!
T will tell you that tea is terrific and tip-top − but running out of tea is terrible.
U says u! when he thinks life is unfair: u!
Unlucky U often ends up upside-down and unhappy. But he soon cheers up!
U is stripy because he's one of the five vowels: AEIOU.
V says vvv when he vrooms around: v!
V likes to vroom around very, very fast. He doesn't need a van or any other vehicle − he just holds his steering wheel and vrooms off.
W says w-w-w when he weeps: w!
W is very weepy, and often wails and weeps without warning.
When he weeps, his head fills with water until the water washes out in a big wave.
X says x-x-x when he uses his x-ray vision: x!
Exciting X is a superhero who uses his x-ray vision to see when Alphablocks need rescuing.
Y says y! when he says yes: y!
Young, yellow Y likes to say yes to everything. And yippee! And yahoo! And yay!
Z says z when he is snoozing: zzzzz!
Z is old and tired but he zips and zooms about before dozing off for a snooze: zzzzz!
Wake up, Z!
