Scholastic Parents • April 24, 2024 TopicsApril Book Clubs Book Fairs families phonics reading

How to Practise Phonics With Kids at Home

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.

What is phonics?

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.

Why is phonics important?

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.

How does your child’s school teach phonics?

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:

Team up with the teacher. Ask how you can highlight phonics and reading outside of class, and share any concerns you have.
Listen to your child read daily. If your child stumbles on a word, encourage them to sound it out. But if they still can’t get it, provide the word so they don’t get discouraged.
Boost comprehension. Ask questions like, “What do you think will happen next?” or “What did he mean by that?” Here are more great questions to ask during story time.
Revisit familiar books. It’s okay if your child wants to re-read favourite books from earlier years. In fact, it’s actually beneficial!
Read aloud. Choose books on topics that excite your child, and read with gusto, using different voices for each character.
Spread the joy. Show your child how much you value reading by having plenty of books and magazines around the house. You’ll practise phonics as well as cultivate a lifelong love of reading.

Originally published by Scholastic Parents on August 8, 2023.