Phonics, Spelling, & Grammar Resources

Check out the Best SATPIN Activities for some Phonics Fun with your EYFS kids. Teaching beginning sounds has never been easier with our hands-on Letters and Sounds SATPIN teacher printables.

Learning to tell the difference between sounds is a key Early Years literacy skill and the first step in learning to read and write. But getting started with the right phonics activities can be overwhelming!

These activities are designed to build confidence and fluency in early reading abilities.

That’s where we come in with our “Must Have” Letters and Sounds Phonics Games

With our engaging, hands-on SATPIN Activities you can beat the overwhelm and get your children segmenting and blending effortlessly and without the overwhelm.

What is SATPIN?

Definition and Importance

SATPIN is a phonics program that introduces letters and sounds in a specific sequence, starting with the most common letters and sounds that yield the most words. This method is designed to help children learn to read and write by familiarising them with the sounds and letters of the English language in a logical and systematic way.

By focusing on the SATPIN sequence, children can develop essential writing skills and a strong foundation in letters and sounds, which are crucial for their literacy development. The SATPIN program is a cornerstone of phonics education, ensuring that children learn effectively and efficiently.

Why SATPIN Order Matters

The SATPIN order is significant because it introduces letters and sounds in a sequence that allows children to build their knowledge and skills gradually. By starting with the most common letters and sounds, children can quickly begin to read and write simple words, which boosts their confidence and motivation. This method also helps prevent children from confusing letter names with sounds, a common hurdle in early literacy. By focusing on letters and sounds in the SATPIN order, children can more easily grasp the basics of reading and writing, setting a solid foundation for their future learning.

Benefits of Teaching Letter Sounds in a Specific Order

Teaching letter sounds in a specific order, such as the SATPIN sequence, offers numerous benefits for children. This approach:

• Introduces letters and sounds in a logical and systematic way, making it easier for children to understand and remember.
• Gradually builds on children’s existing knowledge and skills, ensuring steady progress.
• Prevents children from reverting to letter names rather than sounds, which can hinder their ability to read and write.
• Enables children to read and write simple words quickly, boosting their confidence and motivation.
• Provides a structured framework that supports the development of essential literacy skills.

Teaching Letter Recognition

Effective Strategies for Letter Recognition

Teaching letter recognition is a vital component of phonics education. Here are some effective strategies to help children learn to recognize letters:

• Introduce Letters in a Specific Order: Using the SATPIN order can help children learn letter recognition more effectively by starting with the most common letters and sounds.
• Use a Variety of Teaching Methods: Incorporate visual, auditory, and kinesthetic approaches to cater to different learning styles. This can include flashcards, songs, and hands-on activities.
• Provide Practice Opportunities: Give children plenty of chances to practice recognizing letters in different contexts, such as in books, on signs, and in their own writing.
• Incorporate Games and Activities: Make learning fun and engaging with games and activities that reinforce letter recognition, such as matching games, letter hunts, and puzzles.
• Offer Feedback and Encouragement: Provide positive feedback and encouragement to help children build their confidence and stay motivated as they learn letter recognition.

SATPIN Order for Teaching Phonics

So why start introducing Phonics in the SATPIN order instead of alphabetically? Well, there’s a good reason, research & evidence!

Using the SATPIN letters and sounds order means that students progress naturally and quickly from learning letters & sounds to word building. Many first words can be created using combinations of the  SATPIN letter order, e.g. at, sat, pin, pan, tin…  compared to creating words using a,b,c,d,e!

So the SATPIN order is perfect for your phonics program. (And used by Jolly Phonics Too!)

SATPIN letter order is in Phase 2 of the Letters and Sounds Synthetics Phonics Program. There are 6 Phases in all, on the DfE website.  Each phonics phase outlines specific phonemes and skills that children will learn, such as segmenting and blending. Children entering Phase Two of the phonics program, have completed Phase One and will have experience with phonics in listening activities, including songs, stories and rhymes.

Phase One students can distinguish between speech sounds and many will be able to blend and segment words orally. If students are unable to do this they are not ready to progress into Phase Two and will need more time on Phase One.

Phase Two is where the SATPIN sequence is formally introduced. The purpose of Phase Two is to teach at least 19 letters and move children on from oral blending and segmentation to blending and segmenting with letters to create words. Teaching phonics in this phase involves breaking down phonemes into manageable groups to aid learning.

The original Letters and Sounds program suggested order for teaching letters is slightly different to the combinations used in most classrooms today but includes the same letters.  The original letters and sounds order consisted of 5 sets of letters:

• Set 1 – s, a, t, p
• Set 2 – i, n, m, d
• Set 3 – g, o, c, k
• Set 4 – ck, e, u, r
• Set 5 – h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss

As children progress through different phases, they will encounter tricky words that are essential for their reading development. Over time this order has evolved into the SATPIN letter order, which includes letter order sets:

• set 1 – satpin 
• set 2 – ckehrm 
• set 3 – dgoulf 
• set 4 -bjzwvyxq 

In addition to this our research found another set of letter  combinations, including:

• msta
• ocdh
• pifr
• bjzw
• vyxq
• bdua (letter confusion)

Using this research we have developed a stack of Letters and Sounds resources to use in your classroom. There are posters, clip cards, spinner games, matching cards, sound sorts and more…

Use the SATPIN teaching printables to build an effective phonics program and get your students will learn:

• s,a,t,p,i,n letters and sounds
• use s,a,t,p,i,n, letters to blend and sound words with s,a,t,p,i,n initial sounds. e.g. s-a-t sat
• segment s,a,t,p,i,n, words
• use words s,a,t,p,i,n words to create simple sentences

By using these strategies, you can help children learn letter recognition effectively, setting them on the path to successful reading and writing.