Unlock Your Child's Reading Potential: Simple Phonological Awareness Tricks

Is your child at the stage of struggling to blend alphabet-letter-sounds into simple words?

If so, don't skip the important step of developing phonological awareness skills along with teaching them letter recognition and letter-sounds. Phonological awareness can make learning to read easier for children, like blending those CVC sounds into words, fluently. Phonological awareness skills are the pre-reading skills necessary for early reading success and can make the whole process much smoother.

Here are just three ideas to begin using. You will need to use manipulatives like foam squares and pictures to help children identify initial sounds, break words into syllables, and blend sounds together - WITHOUT USING THE ACTUAL ALPHABET LETTERS.

1.  Initial Sound Identification

• Show pictures of familiar objects

• Name the object

• Then ask them to identify the first sound they hear in the word

2. Syllable Awareness

• Use foam squares to represent syllables

• Say a word slowly, touching a square for each syllable

• Have your child repeat the word after hearing the separated syllables

3. Onset and Rime Blending

• Use foam squares to represent onset (initial sound) and rime (remaining part of the syllable)

• Practice blending sounds like "c-at," "m-an," "ph-one"

• Or "ca-t," "ma-n," "pho-ne" draw out the first sound, like, "caaaaa-t," "maaaa-n"

It is important to master these plus other phonological awareness skills before moving on to actual reading activities. It will help prevent guessing habits and prepare children for reading words.

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4. Sound Manipulation:

• Use foam squares to represent individual sounds in a word

• Practice adding, removing, or changing sounds to create new word

5. Gradual Progression:

• Ensure your child can easily blend onset and rime before moving to individual sounds

• Model the skills and provide plenty of practice

• Incrementally increase difficulty as your child improves

6. Make it Fun:

• Use colorful foam squares or felt pieces

• Turn activities into games

• Celebrate small victories to keep motivation high

Remember, these activities lay the groundwork for successful reading. By focusing on phonological awareness before letter recognition, you're setting your child up for a smoother transition into reading fluency. Stay patient, keep it playful, and watch your child's reading skills blossom!