If you’re the parent of a beginning reader, chances are you’re hearing a lot about phonics. Here’s what you need to know about how your child will learn phonics — and how you can help practise phonics at home.
Phonics is knowing that sounds and letters have a relationship. In other words, it is the link between what we say and what we can read and write. Phonics offers beginning readers the tools they need to sound out words. For example, kids learn that the letter D has the sound of /d/ as in doll. Down the road, they’ll learn how to combine letter sounds to make words like dog.
As children advance as readers, they must be able to eventually blend letter sounds, without stumbling over words. Phonics helps set a foundation for that process.
In preschool and the beginning of kindergarten, the beginner reading curriculum is usually focused on phonological awareness and learning to recognize letters (upper and lowercase) and learning the sound of each letter. This focus on sound and letter awareness sets children up for success in learning phonics skills. Usually, around halfway through kindergarten, children move on to blending simple words and begin to work toward building automaticity.
Research suggests that the most effective phonics instruction is systematic, sequential, and explicit. Teachers give preschoolers plenty of practice before moving on. Your child will read short, easy books containing the particular letter sounds or words they’re working on. You can help them practise by providing similar books at home.
Here are more ways you can reinforce phonics learning at home:
Originally published by Scholastic Parents on August 8, 2023.
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