V-tech Flip For Phonics Assembly Instructions

Dear Parent,
You know how important reading is to your child’s future. If your child
can read, your child can do anything. That’s because reading is the
foundation upon which all fundamental learning is built. A good beginning
is absolutely essential.
That is why VTech designed the Fundamentals of Reading product line
to help your child develop language skills, the skills crucial to learning
how to read. Our age-appropriate activities will help your child feel
successful every step of the way. In fact, we provide three levels of
reading progression to help your child move from a beginning reader,
to a growing reader, and finally to an advancing reader. Our curriculum
begins with letters, letter sounds, and letter formation all the way
through vowels, consonants, word recognition - even full sentences.
With the Fundamentals of Reading product line, children think they’re
playing, but they’re actually learning. So their confidence grows, their
self-esteem grows and their appetite for learning grows, too.
How Can You Help?
You’ve already started by showing you’re interested in your child’s
reading development. By being a good role model, your child should
see you read books, magazines and newspapers. Of course, there are
other sources including billboards, grocery lists, recipes and street
signs. What’s most important is that reading is a fun, interactive
experience that should be shared with your child daily.
We encourage you to play the activities in the Fundamentals of Reading
product line together. You’ll see first hand what progress your child is
making. Children love positive reinforcement so praise your child’s
achievements. As your child embarks on the road to learning, he or she
will encounter challenges. This is a natural part of the learning process.
Please be patient and if your child needs help, be sure to provide it.
Have fun. Remember, learning to read isn’t a race. It doesn’t matter who
gets there first, it’s simply “getting there” that really counts.
We wish you the best as you help your child get off to a great start in
becoming a lifelong learner. As your child grows, count on VTech® to be
there with fun, innovative learning toys to help your child do his or her
best every step of the way.
We thank you for entrusting us with the responsibility of building your
child’s future. When your child can read, your child can do anything.
Sincerely,
Your Friends at VTech®
1
29100 manual 3/27/99, 5:22 PM2

FLIP FOR PHONICS™
TO BEGIN PLAY
1. To begin play, press the ON button ( ). You will hear an opening
short tune and an activity instruction.
2. To adjust the volume, slide the VOLUME CONTROL SWITCH to the left for
low volume or to the right for high volume.
3. Slide the activity selector left or right to select one of the ten
activities. A friendly voice will guide you through each of the follow-
ing activities:
1. Learning Letters 6. Vowels
2. Alphabet Order 7. Consonants
3. Sounds of Letters 8. Missing Letter
4. Beginning Sounds 9. Spelling
5. Beginning Letter 10. Melody Maker
4. For a unique learning opportunity, the Braille alphabet is located on
the card for activities 1-5.
5. Press the REPEAT button ( ) to repeat the question or instruction.
6. Press the HELP button ( ) to repeat an instruction or give
the answer to a question or play a song.
7. To turn the learning toy off, press the OFF button ( ).
2
TO BEGIN
PLAY
FIVE TWO-SIDED BUILT-IN ACTIVITY CARDS
ON BUTTON
REPEAT BUTTON
HELP BUTTON
COLOR-CODED VOWEL AND
CONSONANT BUTTONS
FUN, FLIP
TOP DESIGN
ACTIVITY
SELECTOR
OFF BUTTON
VOLUME CONTROL SWITCH
29100 manual 3/27/99, 5:23 PM3

LEARNING
LETTERS
ALPHABET
ORDER
FLIP FOR PHONICS™ ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1 - LEARNING LETTERS
This activity allows your child to practice identifying the 26 letters of the
alphabet. As your child presses a letter button, he or she will hear the
friendly voice identify the letter.
Learning Benefits for Your Child - The Learning Letters activity is presented
to introduce your child to the 26 letters of the alphabet. Your
child may explore at his or her own pace by choosing which letters to press.
There are no specific instructions telling your child which button to press.
This free exploration is very inviting and encourages children to take risks
by pressing letters he or she may not be too familiar with.
ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Turn the card to the index, Learning Letters.
2. Slide the activity selector to the first position as
shown. You will hear a short tune followed by “Press
a button” and a fun sound effect.
3. Press a letter button to hear the letter identified.
For example, press the letter “Aa” button and you
will hear “A” and a fun sound effect.
4. Press the repeat button to hear the instruction and
a fun sound.
5. When the help button is pressed, you will hear “Press a button” and a fun
sound.
How Can You Help?
• Encourage your child to find the beginning letter of his or her name as well as
other names of family members. Ask your child to think of his or her friends’
names or favorite toys, animals, etc. and guide your child in finding the begin-
ning letters of those words using the letter buttons on the learning toy.
• Write some letters of the alphabet down on paper and encourage your child
to find the matching letter using the letter buttons on the learning toy. After
your child presses the letter button and hears the name of the letter, ask
him or her what letter it was.
•Allow your child plenty of free time to explore this activity. Have your child
touch and trace the letter buttons on the learning toy with his or her finger.
He or she should say the name of the letter while tracing it. Have your child
say, “The name of the letter is __ .”
ACTIVITY 2 - ALPHABET ORDER
This activity strengthens alphabetical order skills. Your child will recognize
that the letters of the alphabet are arranged in a certain order. He or she
will have opportunities to tell which letter comes before or after certain
letters. Your child will be asked specific questions such as, “What letter
comes before B?” He or she will then have the opportunity to look at the
letter buttons and find that letter.
3
Learning
Letters
Alphabet
Order
29100 manual 3/27/99, 5:24 PM4

ALPHABET
ORDER
SOUNDS OF
LETTERS
4
FLIP FOR PHONICS™ ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 2 - ALPHABET ORDER (continued)
Learning Benefits for Your Child - The Alphabet Order activity has been
designed to familiarize your child with the alphabet. Your child will
also be taught the concept of before and after. This activity provides
opportunities for your child to identify letters of the alphabet on his
or her own.
ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Turn the card to the index, Alphabet Order.
2. Slide the activity selector to the second position
as shown. You will hear a short tune followed by a
random question. For example, “What letter comes
after B?”
3. When a correct letter button is pressed, you will hear
a correct response. For example, when you press the
letter ‘Cc’ button, you will hear “C. Good job! C comes
after the letter B.”
4. When an incorrect letter button is pressed, you will hear a negative re-
sponse. For example, when you press the letter ‘Ss’ button, you will hear
a negative sound effect followed by “S comes after the letter R. Try again.”
5. When the repeat button is pressed, the learning toy will repeat the pre-
vious question.
6. When the help button is pressed, the learning toy will identify the answer.
How Can You Help?
• While your child is playing this activity, encourage him or her to look at the
letters while making his or her decision about the answer. Have your child
tell you why he or she is choosing a certain letter for his or her answer.
• Your child should understand what the terms “before” and “after” really
mean. To help your child grasp this concept, practice this skill with your
child. You may wish to use objects that your child is familiar with (i.e.
colored blocks, small toys). Lay three or four objects in a line and talk about
before and after in regards to those particular objects.
• Talk about “before” and “after” in regards to events that have occurred
throughout the day. For example, ask your child, “What did you do before
lunch?” or “What do we usually do after dinner?”
ACTIVITY 3 - SOUNDS OF LETTERS
This activity teaches the sounds of the consonants and vowels. Your child
will hear the correct pronunciation of each letter sound. He or she will
recognize that the vowels A, E, I, O, and U can make two different sounds,
both long and short. Every time your child presses a letter button, the
friendly voice will tell your child the sound(s) that the letter makes.
Sounds
of
Letters
29100 manual 3/27/99, 5:24 PM5

SOUNDS OF
LETTERS
BEGINNING
SOUNDS
FLIP FOR PHONICS™ ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 3 - SOUNDS OF LETTERS (continued)
Learning Benefits for Your Child - The Sounds of Letters activity introduces
your child to sounds of letters. Your child will recognize that all the letters
make a certain sound. They will learn that some letters can even make
two sounds or more. There are no specific instructions telling your child
which button to press. This free exploration is very inviting and should
encourage your child to take risks by pressing buttons that may be unfa-
miliar to him or her.
ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Turn the card to the index, Sounds of Letters.
2. Slide the activity selector to the third position as
shown. You will hear a short tune followed by “Press
a button” and a fun sound effect.
3. Press a letter button to hear the sound(s) of each
letter. For example, when you press the letter ‘Bb’
button, you will hear “The letter B says buh.”
4. Press the repeat button to hear the instruction and a sound effect.
5. When the help button is pressed, the learning toy will say, “Press a
button” and then the learning toy will play a sound effect.
How Can You Help?
• Encourage your child to say the letter sounds along with the learning toy.
Your child could practice by saying, “The name of the letter is B, the sound
of the letter is buh.”
• This skill takes lots and lots of practice. Remember to remain positive
and praise your child when he or she can tell you the sound of a given
letter.
• In everyday situations, have your child tell you what letter a certain object
begins with. Repeat the word slowly for your child by really stressing the
beginning letter. Have your child tell you what sound that letter makes.
ACTIVITY 4 - BEGINNING SOUNDS
This activity helps your child identify the beginning sounds of words. The
learning toy will identify the beginning sound of a word followed by that
word. Your child will need to rely on his or her knowledge of letters and
their sounds in order to complete this activity.
Learning Benefits for Your Child - The Beginning Sounds activity is
designed to help your child identify the beginning sounds of words. Your
child will increase his or her decoding skills by using this activity. Your child
will be able to apply the knowledge he or she has gained from learning the
26 letters of the alphabet and their sounds.
5
Beginning
Sounds
29100 manual 3/27/99, 5:24 PM6

BEGINNING
SOUNDS
BEGINNING
LETTERS
6
FLIP FOR PHONICS™ ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 4 - BEGINNING SOUNDS (continued)
ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Turn the card to the index, Beginning Sounds.
2. Slide the activity selector to the fourth position as
shown. You will hear a short tune and the friendly
voice will say “Press a button” followed by a sound
effect.
3. When a letter button is pressed, the friendly voice
will identify the beginning sound of an object that
starts with that letter.
For example, when
you press the letter
Bb button, you will
hear “‘Buh’, “Bus.”
4. You can refer to the card to see the objects and the beginning letter
in each word.
5. When the repeat button is pressed, the previous instruction will be
repeated.
6. When the help button is pressed, the learning toy will say, “Press a
button” followed by a sound effect.
How Can You Help?
• Encourage your child to say the sounds along with the friendly voice. Your
child could practice by saying, “The name of the letter is B, the sound of the
letter is buh.”
• When you’re reading with your child, allow him or her opportunities to tell
you the sounds of the first letters in some of the words. Your child may even
be able to sound out the entire word.
• In everyday situations, have your child tell you what letter a certain object
begins with. Repeat the word slowly for your child by really accentuating
the beginning letter. Have your child tell you what sound that letter makes.
ACTIVITY 5 - BEGINNING LETTER
This activity continues to reinforce consonant and vowel sounds. Your child
will identify the beginning letter in various words.
Learning Benefits for Your Child - The Beginning Letter activity is designed
to help your child learn to spell a variety of words as well as gain confidence
in listening for sounds of letters at the beginning of words.
Beginning
Letter
29100 manual 3/27/99, 5:24 PM7

BEGINNING
LETTER
VOWELS
FLIP FOR PHONICS™ ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 5 - BEGINNING LETTER (continued)
ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Turn the card to the index, Beginning Letter.
2. Slide the activity selector to the fifth position as
shown. You will hear a short tune, followed by a ran-
dom question. For example, you will hear “What let-
ter does bus begin with?”
3. When a letter button is pressed, the friendly voice
will identify the letter. For example, when you press
the letter ‘Bb’ button, you will hear“B. Good job! Bus
begins with the letter B.”
4. You can refer to the card to see the objects and the beginning letter
in each word.
5. When the repeat button is pressed, the previous question will be
repeated.
6. When the help button is pressed, the answer will be identified.
How Can You Help?
• After your child has found a beginning letter correctly, have him or her tell
you the meaning of the word, and then use the word in a sentence. This is a
great way to check for comprehension of the word.
• Have your child write some of the words from this activity on paper. Your
child may wish to use paint, crayons, or markers to show the words he or
she is able to spell.
• When you are reading stories with your child, cover up the beginning letter
of a particular word. Ask your child to tell you what the beginning letter
should be.
ACTIVITY 6 - VOWELS
This activity introduces vowels in words. Your child will have to differentiate
the vowel sound from the consonant sounds in the words. Your child will be
able to identify the vowels A, E, I, O, and U because they are in a different color
than the consonants. Your child will explore many words while trying to identify
the vowel sound.
Learning Benefits for Your Child - The Vowels activity has been designed
to show children that every word must have a vowel sound. It provides
plenty of exposure to the vowels A, E, I, O, and U. It teaches children to
differentiate between vowels and consonants.
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Vowels
29100 manual 3/27/99, 5:24 PM8

VOWELSCONSONANTS
8
FLIP FOR PHONICS™ ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 6 - VOWELS (continued)
ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Turn the card to the index, Vowels.
2. Slide the activity selector to the sixth position as
shown. You will hear a short tune followed by a ran-
dom question, for example, “Which letter is the vowel
in the word nut?”
3. You can refer to the words located on the cards,
which have the vowels color-coded to reinforce this
activity.
4. When the correct letter button is pressed, the friendly voice will iden-
tify the answer. For example, when you press the letter ‘Uu’ button, you
will hear “U. Good job! U is the vowel in nut.”
5. When an incorrect button is pressed, the letter will be identified. For
example, if you press the letter ‘Aa’ or ‘Kk’ button, you will hear the
letter identified followed by a negative sound. “A is a vowel” or “K is
a consonant.”
6. When the repeat button is pressed, the previous question will be
repeated.
7. When the help button is pressed, the answer will be identified.
How Can You Help?
• Using the letter buttons, point out the letters A, E, I, O, and U. Ask your child
if he or she notices what all of these letters have in common. Your child
should be able to determine that these letters are in a different color than
the rest of the letters. Tell your child that there is a special name for these
letters. The special name for this group of letters is vowels.
• While reading books, magazines, or signs to your child, draw attention to
the vowels in the words. Have your child tell you what the vowel is in a
certain word.
• Using old magazines, have your child look for vowels in print. Help him
or her cut out vowels. Next organize all of the A’s together, E’s together,
etc. and glue them onto cards which have been labeled for each of the
vowels. Keep the learning toy nearby so your child can refer to the
vowel buttons.
ACTIVITY 7 - CONSONANTS
This activity builds more confidence with consonant sounds. Your child will
match a letter sound to the appropriate letter within the context of a word.
Your child will have to rely on his or her knowledge of letters and their
sounds to identify the letter.
Consonants
29100 manual 3/27/99, 5:24 PM9

CONSONANTS
FLIP FOR PHONICS™ ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 7 - CONSONANTS (continued)
Learning Benefits for Your Child - The Consonants activity will help your
child see the differences between the letter sounds within words. This activity
also teaches him or her that not all 26 letters in the alphabet are
consonants.
ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Turn the card to the index, Consonants.
2. Slide the activity selector to the seventh position as
shown. You will hear a short tune. The friendly voice
will then ask a random question. For example “In the
word bus, what letter says buh?”
3. You can refer to the cards to sound out the words.
4. When the correct letter button is pressed, the an
swer will be identified. For example, you will hear
“B. Good job! The letter B says buh in the word bus. B
is a consonant.”
5. When an incorrect button is pressed, the letter will be identified.
For example, when you press
the letter ‘Mm’ button, you will
hear “M” followed by a negative sound. Then you will hear
“The letter M says mmm. Try again.”
6. When the repeat button is pressed, the previous question will be
repeated.
7. When the help button is pressed, the answer will be identified.
How Can You Help?
• Before beginning this activity, have your child look at the learning toy’s
letter buttons. Have him or her practice saying the sounds of each of the
consonants before pressing these letters to check if he or she is correct.
• While playing with this learning toy, encourage your child to listen to the
entire question before making a guess. Remind your child to look at the
entire word before making his or her final decision.
• When you are reading books to your child, stop at certain words and ask
your child questions like the learning toy does. For instance, “In this word,
which letter says puh?”
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29100 manual 3/27/99, 5:24 PM10