5 Easy Ways to Develop Phonological Awareness
Does your child struggle with rhymes, syllables and reading?
Each of these competencies depend on one of the most important pieces required in learning to read, a meta-cognitive skill called phonological awareness.
Phonological awareness is the ability to focus on and utilize individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.
Here are some ways you can support your child’s development of phonological awareness.
Rhymes – Read books that rhyme or repeat the same sound. Ask your child to find words that rhyme together.
Syllables – Teach your child about syllables by clapping the beat the word. This helps them recognize that words are comprised of different sound components.
Alphabet – Teach the alphabet, and the sound of the letters. Read together by slowly sounding out each letter in the word. Connect the sounds, by blending sound unit into the word – such as /p/ and /ig/.
Break words apart – Have your child take words apart. Start by using compound words, such as “cowboy”. You can use Lego bricks to represent parts of the world, so show how sounds are combined.
Same letters – Brainstorm words that start with the same sound with your child, such as “cake”and “cookie”. Try playing “I spy” to build phonological skills, for example “I spy something that is res and starts with /m/”.
There are many ways you can engage your child while developing phonological awareness.
Singing rhymes, reading books, playing games like “I spy” are great ways to teach your child and build greater reading success.