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As parents, one of the most important things you can do to support your child's development is to help them build early literacy skills. Research has shown that early literacy skills are closely tied to later reading success, and one of the foundational skills in this journey is phonemic awareness.
What is Phonemic Awareness?
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. Phonemic awareness is different from phonics, which involves connecting sounds to letters. While phonics comes later, phonemic awareness is purely about hearing and understanding sounds. For example, in the word "cat," the three sounds are /k/, /æ/, and /t/. A child with phonemic awareness can recognise and isolate these sounds, even though they aren't yet reading or writing letters.
The Science of Reading—a body of research on how the brain learns to read — emphasises that reading instruction should focus on building strong foundational skills like phonemic awareness before moving on to more complex tasks, such as decoding words or reading comprehension.
Phonemic awareness is not just about hearing sounds. It’s about actively manipulating them. For example, if a child can hear the sounds in a word, blend them together, or break them apart, they have a critical skill that will later help them sound out words as they begin to read.
Activities to Build Phonemic Awareness at home
1. Rhyming Games
Rhyming is one of the earliest phonemic skills children develop, and it’s also a fun way to practice phonemic awareness. You can start by reading books with rhyming words, such as “The Cat in the Hat” by Dr. Seuss, and point out the rhyming words together. Next, try playing a rhyming game by saying a word and asking your child to come up with as many rhyming words as they can. For example, if you say “hat,” your child might come up with “bat,” “cat,” “rat,” and “mat.”
2. Sound Hunt (Listening for Sounds)
This simple game helps your child practice isolating sounds in words. Go on a “sound hunt” around your house or outside. Ask your child to listen carefully to various sounds in their environment (e.g., birds chirping, a car honking, footsteps, or the rustling of leaves). When they hear a sound, pause and ask them to identify the beginning sound of that word. For example, when they hear a bird chirp, you could ask, “What’s the first sound in 'bird'?” The focus here is on the sound, not the letter name. This game encourages active listening and sound isolation, key components of phonemic awareness.
3. Segmenting and Blending Sounds with Manipulatives
You can use objects like blocks or toys to help your child practice segmenting and blending sounds. Start with simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, such as "dog," "cat," or "sat."
For example, say the word “cat” slowly, emphasising each sound: /k/ /æ/ /t/. Choose blocks or toys to represent each sound. Encourage your child to tap each object as they say each sound. Then, show them how to blend the sounds together to say the word. You can also reverse the process by saying the word and asking them to break it into sounds. Let your child choose their favourite toys or objects to make the activity more engaging and interactive.
4. Clapping syllables
Clap your hands as you say a word and encourage your child to clap along with you. Each clap represents a syllable in the word. For example, “but-ter-fly” would get three claps. This helps children recognise syllables and develop an understanding of word structure. Turn it into a challenge - for example, how many words can we find with two syllables? Who can find a word with the most syllables? This ability to break words into parts will be very important as your child begins to learn to read and write.
5. I Spy with Sounds
The classic “I Spy” game can be easily adapted to practice phonemic awareness. Instead of focusing on colors or shapes, you can focus on sounds. For example, you might say, “I spy something that begins with the /b/ sound,” and your child can look around for objects that begin with the /b/ sound (like a ball, book, or button). Again, the focus here is on the sound, not the letter name. This reinforces the ability to identify and isolate initial sounds in words.
6. Sound Sorting
Gather a set of objects or toys that all begin with different sounds. For example, you could include a toy dog, a spoon, an apple and a truck. Then, ask your child to find objects based on their beginning sounds. For example, find me something that begins with /s/. This activity helps children distinguish between similar sounds and strengthens their ability to recognise and manipulate sounds.
Making Phonemic Awareness Fun
The key to helping your child develop phonemic awareness is to keep it fun and interactive. Play games, sing songs, and incorporate activities that get your child actively involved in hearing and manipulating sounds. Phonemic awareness is a skill that develops gradually, so be patient and celebrate small wins along the way. The more positive and playful you make these activities, the more motivated your child will be to engage with them—and the more confident they will become in their literacy skills!
By engaging in these sorts of activities regularly, you are providing your child with the strong phonemic foundation they need to become a successful reader and writer and to thrive as they continue their literacy journey.