Year 2 · Speaking & listening
Use pace, volume, pauses and repetition to make a short line clear.
Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Match each reading direction to the way you would use your voice.
Play Poetry voicesSaved stars · No timer
Use a short shared task after playing.
Year 2 reading includes discussing poetry and learning familiar poems by heart. Poetry voices introduces a small set of explicit reading directions. Whispering, slowing down and pausing change how a listener experiences a line. The game checks what the printed direction asks for; it does not claim there is only one valid way to perform a poem or assess the sound of a child’s voice.
After matching, perform one short line twice using different choices. Ask what a listener could hear more clearly and which choice suited the intended meaning. Practise a familiar rhyme with a steady beat, then leave time to remember it without looking. Keep performances brief and encouraging. A quiet child can rehearse with one trusted listener before sharing with a larger group.
Read The tired giant climbed first quickly and then slowly. Ask how the pace changes the listener’s picture of the giant. The prepared direction asks for slowly, while a different poem or character might call for another sensible performance choice.
Spoken-language requirements are shared across Years 1–6. These tasks prepare selected skills at a level intended for Year 2. Read the official English programme of study.
No. It checks the prepared direction matches. A grown-up or peer can listen to a performance and give supportive, specific feedback.
Start with a skill the child is learning at school. Use the game as a short practice opportunity, then return to a real book, a useful piece of writing or a conversation. Follow the teacher’s sequence where it differs.