Pre-reading Skills Family Card Game Driving Change

how we got here

About Sound Slam

You will never hear a primary teacher say, 'I wish they knew less about sounds' nor a child say, 'I wish you played with me less'.

Most reading prep tools have two major faults.

Either they suggest handing a child a device as a means to learning to read (counter intuitive to research-based recommendations) or ask too much of busy, brainspace lacking parents (endless creativity, time and messy craft supplies... no thanks). Sound Slam was born to build the pre-reading skills that are proven predictors of literacy success, all while letting kids be kids (with allll the fun) and parents be parents.

All children should be given the absolute best chance of reading success. Yet when friends Anna and Lucy dove into The Science of Reading research first-hand they had one big question...

Why is no one telling the parents?

Although a school based synthetic phonics program carries much of the heavy lifting for learning to read, there are absolutely things a parent can do before school to help their child with the best chance of reading success.

Busy working parents themselves, Anna and Lucy created Before Books, an online program for parents (going live in 2025!) and their flagship family card game Sound Slam to action the most parent-critical research.

Our products are made with love in NSW. Anna hails from Newcastle and has studied and taught at primary schools across Sydney and Armidale with a focus on literacy in the early years. Lucy currently works from home on the family farm helping Australia's biggest corporate companies turn leadership research and recruitment data into more efficient and inclusive processes.

Anna & Lucy x

Get in Touch!

Head to our 'Literacy Research' page for references and more detail about the research that sits behind our program and games.

Got more questions? Are you a researcher or a teacher keen to contribute to our blog?

We would love to hear from you! Drop us a line below or email hello@soundslam.com.au

Happy Playing / Learning!

  • Literacy Research

    Learning to speak is natural. Learning to read is not. Bring the 'Big Six' of Reading skills into your everyday. All products are based on The Science of Reading with a focus on pre phonics skills.

  • Time Spent Playing
    Not Preparing

    Big day? Enough on your mind?
    Your time together is precious.
    No setup time, no flashcards and none of your precious brain space required.

  • Connection Based Fun

    'I didn't realise it was actually fun to play'.Yep. Fun as. Competitive too if you're that way inclined? Emotional regulation and attention focus built in.
    No screens or devices involved.