Fauna C - Cat

It is one letter in the Fauna range, so it slots into a set you build toward a full A to Z. On its own the Cat tile also makes a small birthday or start of school gift, and a familiar animal like a cat is an easy place to begin.

The cat gives C a friendly, familiar image most children already know as a pet. As they place the tile they can name the animal, make the c-c-cat sound and picture it, linking the letter name, its phonic sound and a real animal in one step.

It builds letter recognition, phonics as C is matched to its sound, and vocabulary through the cat picture. Lifting the tile in and out also strengthens the pincer grip and hand-eye coordination behind early writing, so motor and literacy skills grow together.

They lift the C piece from its wooden base and fit it back into the matching space. Running a finger around the letter, saying its sound and talking about the cat turns the quick task into a short lesson on shape, sound and meaning.

Yes. Every letter is its own puzzle, so a few together let children spell short words such as cat, sort tiles into alphabet order or find the letters in a name. It turns single pieces into a wider, more playful learning game.

It suits preschoolers around 3 to 6 years old. A three year old enjoys holding and placing the single tile with help, while older children start naming C, sounding it out and describing a cat, which adds a little vocabulary each time they play.