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BRITISH ENGLISH · DISCOVER TOGETHER

Help your child start reading with sounds and shared stories

Help a child start reading by sharing books and playing with sounds they know. In an English phonics activity, the sound a letter represents matters: naming C, A and T is different from blending the sounds in cat.

Try it together
INSIDE THE ENGLISH GAMEThe English village in Girafoufou, with doors to the different activities
The English village in Girafoufou, with doors to the different activities

Start with the sounds already introduced

Ask your child’s teacher which sounds and spellings they are learning. Girafoufou’s English path begins with s, a, t and p, then i and n, and offers listening, blending and building short words. Schools use different phonics programmes, so match home practice to the programme your child is following.

Different stories ask for different participation

Goldilocks is read aloud. The Picnic lets the child join in through pictures. Four original stories — Fox and the Map, Cat and the Snack, Hen and the Egg, and Fox and the Boat — offer short sentences to sound out together. Listening to a story and independently decoding it are different activities, and both can be shared without testing.

SIDE BY SIDE

Listen, then join the sounds

  1. Choose the first blending game.
  2. Listen together and say the sounds without adding letter names.
  3. Give the child time to recognise the whole word, then find its picture.

Girafoufou is not a complete or validated systematic synthetic phonics programme. It does not diagnose reading difficulties.

Explore blending

The discovery games are free to try without a card or account. Full family access is paid. Check Prices for the current plans in pounds; changing between French and British English does not require another purchase.

PUT THE SCREEN DOWN

Share one favourite page

You will need: A picture book your child enjoys.

  1. Read a page aloud while your child looks at the pictures.
  2. Pause for anything they want to notice or say.
  3. Return to a familiar sound or word only if it fits what they have already learnt.

Keep this activity using your browser’s Print menu, or share it by email. No sign-up needed.

Girafoufou · https://www.girafoufou.com/en/parent-guides/first-reading

Questions
from parents.

Should I correct every mistake?

Keep the activity supportive. Model the sound or word, let your child try again and return to an easier step if needed. For concerns about learning to read, speak with their teacher rather than treating game performance as an assessment.

Carry the idea a little further.

TRY IT TOGETHER

Short A sound: listen for /æ/ in ant

Listen to the short A sound in British English, hear how it differs from the letter name and explore a first sound game with your child.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

CH sound: two letters, one sound in chip

Hear the English CH sound in chip and notice how two letters work together. Try the game’s recording and a gentle listening activity off screen.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Learning games for 4 year olds: sounds, numbers and puzzles

Explore letter sounds, compare groups and try a picture puzzle at four. British English voice guidance and a grown-up’s guide to choosing the next step.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Learning games for 5 year olds: first words and number bonds

Try blending short words, number bonds and early addition at five. See what Girafoufou offers, how to help and when to choose an easier activity.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Choose a preschool app: a practical checklist for parents

Check adverts, voice guidance, costs, privacy and stopping points before choosing a preschool app. A practical checklist, with Girafoufou’s limits explained.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Offline learning games: prepare before you travel

Prepare Girafoufou before a journey, test the activities without a connection and know what still needs internet. Includes simple travel games off screen.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Nursery and Reception learning: where playful practice fits

Connect everyday play with early numbers, sounds and mark making. See where Girafoufou can support practice and what an app cannot replace.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

French for preschoolers: listen, look and find

Discover first French words with pictures and a gentle voice: animals, food and more. No microphone or speaking test, just a first taste of another language.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Free learning games for 3 year olds: what the trial includes

Try Girafoufou’s discovery games without a card or account. Understand the free trial, paid family access and how to choose a comfortable starting point.

Explore EXPLORE THE GAMES

British English phonics games: hear, match and blend

Hear letter sounds, blend short words and explore early reading in British English. See the actual activities and follow your child’s school phonics approach.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Letter sound M: hear /m/ in map and moon

Hear the sound /m/, distinguish it from the letter name and find it in map and moon. A British English phonics activity to try together.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Blending sounds games: from c–a–t to cat

Listen to the sounds in a short word and blend them together. Explore a first British English blending game, plus a playful spoken activity off screen.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Rhyming games for preschoolers: cat, bat… can you hear it?

Listen for words with the same ending and choose a matching picture. Explore English rhymes together, then try a simple rhyming game without a screen.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Lowercase letter tracing: follow a path with your finger

Explore simple movements and lower-case letters, following the dots with a finger. Discover Girafoufou’s English writing path and a paper activity to try.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

About Girafoufou: a little world made by two friends

Meet the people behind Girafoufou and the choices behind its calm learning games: voice guidance, no adverts, family access and time away from screens.

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About this guide

Product guide by the Girafoufou team. Updated . The activities described here are checked against the English game.

Educational context, not an endorsement of Girafoufou:

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A small discovery.
Then time to play.

The discovery games are free to try without a card or account. Full family access is paid. Check Prices for the current plans in pounds; changing between French and British English does not require another purchase.

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