Science of reading behind a new game

It was inside a Newcastle pub that two entrepreneurs knew they had a winning idea. Kindergarten teacher Anna O'Connor and business partner Lucy Campbell created a card game called Sound Slam that helps children better understand words.

"Our very first game with kids was played over dinner at the Sydney Junction Hotel on Beaumont Street, where my nephews and nieces were so engrossed that their chips went cold," Ms O'Connor said.

"We knew we were on to a winner when we pulled out a deck and played a game with my Dad and his mates the following day at the Junction.

"It's designed for kids aged from four to seven, but these men in their 70s were clapping, sounding out words and having the best time."

 The card game encourages phonological awareness through play, helping establish "that all words are made up of smaller sounds".

 "Just grasping the concept that words are made up of smaller parts is a huge leg-up because phonological awareness – being able to isolate and manipulate single sounds within words - on the first day of kindergarten is a key indicator of a child's future reading success."

Business partners Lucy Campbell and Anna O'Connor created a card game called Sound Slam.

The business launched in November, but going from idea to having a market-ready product was the "tricky element" for the two working mothers.

"I needed to know kids would like playing it and using it before I sunk any money into it," Ms O'Connor said.

The pair made a mock-up game, printed it at home and tested it out on friends and family. Once the game was tweaked the duo collaborated with a Tamworth artist to create the playing cards.

"It was not that hard to find a supplier, we started with a sample set and made a few more tweaks before we printed in bulk."

The business launched with a run of 1000, and since then, another 2000 sets have been ordered. It has mostly been modern-day word-of-mouth through social media and a podcast appearance that has seen the sales roll in. Ms O'Connor also said she has soaked up any information people would give her when it came to branding, business and marketing.

"No advice has fallen on deaf ears." she said.

The goal for 2025 is to expand from family lounge rooms and launch into schools.

"It is an excellent classroom resource." she said.

"The deck can be split for small group activities and features learning tools like short-vowel-sound words that could be used for a spelling activity. This tool could do so much in the hands of teachers."

For Ms Campbell, who comes from a psychology background, it was a bit of 'mum guilt' that started her journey towards the business partnership.

"ln the space of a week, two sets of parents each told me their two-year-old child was already reading," she said.

"Logically, I figured these kids had probably memorised some books. But emotionally, since my two-year-old couldn't read, I felt I'd failed her.

"I wanted to take action, but I don't have the brain space to create an educational experience for a toddler that is also fun. I rang Anna to ask for some tips based on how she taught reading skills in kindergarten."

Bridging this gap between reading at home and the school learning environment was the catalyst for the initial business idea, a company called Before Books.

"We were interested in the science of reading and were putting together a course for parents to learn about the tiny things they can do for their children to help with literacy success. But every time we did a workshop, the parents were asking us for a tool and so we decided Sound Slam had to come first."

The business partners are still on track to launch the Before Books program later this year. In the meantime, Sound Slam is available to purchase online.

Source: Newcastle Herald: Lisa Rockman 7.1.25