What is phonics and when should I start teaching it to my preschool child?
A basic definition of phonics is a method of teaching children to read and pronounce words by learning the sound made when combining various letters together. Through repetition, practice, and memory of these phonics letter combinations, your child will develop a strong foundation for reading smoothly and automatically. There are a great number of letter combinations that your child will eventually learn in school, but we have isolated the ones we feel are the most frequent, fundamental to reading, and easy to learn. We want to introduce three types of letter combinations to your child: consonant blends, word families, and digraphs.
Before introducing phonics to your child, it is important to make sure your child is ready. To be ready, your child should have basic listening skills, phonemic awareness, a grasp of the alphabetic principle, and confidence in her prewriting skills. If you are unsure, here are the signs of reading readiness. Your child will:
Hold books the right way
Turn pages at appropriate times
Enjoy stories being re-read and chime in regularly
Pretend to be reading or attempt to “re-read” a story you’ve already read (even if it’s just memorized)
Discuss what is happening and can relate it to their own experiences
Know that the reader is focusing on the printed letters
Ask questions like “What does that say?”
Recognize print in everyday life such as on boxes, clothing, and street signs
Know the sounds of every letter
Rhyme easily
Break words into syllables
Blend letter sounds or segment letter sounds orally
Have strong phonemic awareness