Does your young reader need some help with the more difficult phonics sounds? They can take our fun 5 Day Phonics Course all by themselves! Everything they need is right here on this page.

What is the Magic E?
The Magic E is a silent ‘e’ sound at the end of a word, which makes the vowel in the middle of the word sound like its original alphabet sound! The 5 vowel sounds become:
a = ay
e = ee
i = eye 
o = oh
u = you

What will kids achieve after 5 days?
They’ll be able to say all the 5 Magic E sounds much more easily! Magic E sounds can be found in words like ape, snake, Pete, delete, bike, hike, nose, rose, home, cute, cubes, rude and so many more!

If your child doesn’t learn about Magic E now, it may make reading these words very difficult and frustrating for them.

How to Complete the Magic E Course:
Step 1. Press play on the video
Step 2. Use the arrow buttons to read the book
Step 3. Help your child learn more with the fun activities
Step 4. Download and fill in the worksheet
Step 5. Start again with the next lesson!

Parents, wondering how to help your child learn the tricky Magic E sound? We’ve got some simple tips for you right here!

• First review the many CVC words (3 letter words like hat, kit, lid) that your child knows. This will reinforce the simple vowel sounds
• Next, find some simple activities that turn these CVC words into Magic E words simply. For example, write words on strips of paper, and fold the ‘e’ at the end under. Encourage your child to say the CVC word and then show the unfolded ‘e’ and ask them to say the new word! For example “kit” turns to “kite”, “cat” turns to “cate”, “can” turns to “cane” etc…

Teachers, how can you teach the various Magic E sounds to students as a series of lessons? Take a look at our time-saving tips here:

• Plan lessons around all levels of students in your class. Some may still be struggling with CVC words while others may be reading short sentences.
• Visually show how the Magic E sound changes the first vowel sound – essentially it ‘makes the sound say it’s alphabet name’!
• As a class, encourage kids  to repeat along with turning CVC words into Magic E sounds i.e. “not” –> “note”, “hop –> “hope”, “bit”–> “bite” etc…
• Magic E bingo. Have some competitive fun with the Magic E sound. Print out Magic E bingo sheets for each child. Have your students cross out the words as you call them out. The winner gets a small reward like stickers, or stars on their class chart!

Did your child love watching and reading about the a_e sound? Here are some more fun ways they can practice this sound!

• Flashcard games: Make giant flashcards that your child can draw on and colour in. Use our words from the book and video, plus add some new ones like lake, make, fake, game, same, race, tale, take, race, fade, same, safe, cave etc… You can use them as regular flashcards or play a variety of games like hopscotch, charades, musical chairs etc…

• Ring toss: on squares of paper, write various CVC (3 letter) words with an a in the middle. Give your child a rubber ring, a small beanbag or other soft throwable object. They should throw the item onto a square and then turn that word in a Magic E word! These words don’t need to be real – the most important thing is that your child understands how the sound can change. For example, your child lands on cat. Ask them to write an e at the end of the word, and then try to change the sound to the Magic E sound, i.e. Cate! Tap becomes tape. Jak becomes Jake. Rod becomes rode.

Did your child love watching and reading about the e_e sound? Here are some more fun ways they can practice this sound!

• Word blocks: Find some old lego or wooden blocks that aren’t being used anymore. Write individual letters from various e_e words including the one’s from our video. You can also add some new words like theme and eve. Make extra e blocks because you’ll be using them a lot!  Help your child to make various e_e words using all the blocks. They don’t even need to be real words, as long as they follow the e_e sound rule!

• Secret Words: Gather A3 white paper, white crayons, water, acrylic paint and paintbrushes. Write a variety of Magic E e_e words on the pieces of paper with the white crayon. Use the e_e words from the video above and don’t make any mistakes because you won’t be able to see the words until later! Give your child some acrylic paint and a little water to mix with it. Let them slowly paint over the paper, revealing the secret e_e words. Each time they reveal a word, encourage them to sound it out loud a few times before moving on to the next one!

Did your child love watching and reading about the i_e sound? Here are some more fun ways they can practice this sound!

• Word magnets: Buy a few pieces of cheap cut-able magnet paper. Cut the magnet sheet into 3cm x 3cm squares and write various letters from the i_e words. Stick them all randomly to your fridge (not too high up) and help your child make some of the i_e words. It really doesn’t matter if the words are real or not – the aim is to help your child learn the Magic E rule!

• Bingo: Think of 16 i_e words, enough to make a 4×4 grid of words on an A4 piece of paper. You can make the bingo sheet by hand, or easily in Word. Call out the i_e words one at a time, and get your child to check off  each word with a marker or crayon. Make sure they repeat each word back to you so they review the sound! You could also practice creating sentences or even simple stories with each word.

Did your child love watching and reading about the o_e sound? Here are some more fun ways they can practice this sound!

• Picture matching: On A4 sheets of paper, draw simple pictures of the o_e words from our video above, and add some new words like drove, lone, bone, phone, hone, nope, hope etc… On different sheets of paper, write the o_e words very big. Scatter them all randomly on the ground and get your child to match the images with the words. Once a match is made, encourage your child to read the word and maybe think of a creative sentence. Have fun with it!

• Word flower: Choose 6 of your child’s favourite o_e words. Gather sheets of different coloured paper and a sharpie. Help your child cut out a yellow circle for the flower’s centre, and write o_e in the middle. Cut out colorful petals and glue or tape them to the flower’s centre. Cut out a thin, long stem from green paper and attach it to the flower. Cut out 6 or more leaves and attach them to the stem. Help your child write their favourite o_e words on the leaves. Once the flower is finished, you can hang it on a wall and help your child to point to and sound out the words! You can even make more flowers from he different Magic E sounds, and collect them all into a ‘garden’ on your wall!

Did your child love watching and reading about the u_e sound? Here are some more fun ways they can practice this sound!

• Glitter Writing: This creative activity is great for kids who love learning through art! Gather sheets of A4 paper, PVA glue and different colours of loose glitter. Help your child to write their 6 favourite u_e words in pencil on the sheets of paper. Trace the letters with a good layer of PVA glue. Before it dries, help your child to  pour different colours of glitter over the glue, and wah lah! You know have glittery u_e words that your child will love to learn with!

• Salt writing: This project can get a little messy, but it’s definitely fun! Make sure you do this activity in the kitchen or put some newspaper down first. You’ll need to gather different colours of paint, a big, shallow plastic tray, a piece of card, a few bags of salt. Help your child to paint thick strips of rainbow colours on the card. Once it’s fully dried, cut it to fit the bottom of the plastic tray. Fill the tray with bags of salt, up to about half way. Help your child to write their favourite u_e words in the salt, with their fingers. Let them get messy if they like!

So, how did it go?!

Did your child love learning the Magic E sounds with our 5 Day Course? We’d love to hear about how it went! Feel free to email us with any questions or feedback at info@redcatreading.com.

Keep an eye out for future courses, and don’t forget to sign up for our free trial or basic account!

Magic E Review Ideas for Kids:

• Watch the video and sing along
• Watch the video without sound and say the Magic E words
• Make short sentences with the Magic E words
• Make up your own silly magic E words!
• Play Magic E charades
• Make up a fun story about the Magic E and why it changes the vowel sounds