Teaching Phonics
Perhaps one of the most rewarding parts of being a parent is teaching your child how to read.There are a number of simple procedures that you should follow in order to make the learning journey a success.
Phonics is now one of the most widely recognised methods of teaching.It is defined as knowing that the letters and the sounds they make have an association with each other.
Just like a jigsaw puzzle, as the child becomes confident witsingle letters they then become able to piece the letters together, understanding short words and phrases. Whilst on paper this process sounds simple it can be quite a challenge for the child.We all know that the alphabet is made up of twenty six letters, but are you aware that these letters make 44 different sounds? With so many sounds it becomes easy to understand why children are initially confused.
Understanding phonics
The first step in the learning journey is understanding the sound made by an individual letter.For instance, understanding the sound made by the letter c in the word cat.The child is then taught how the sounds can change depending on the other letters used in the word.So for example, the letter c makes a specific sound when used alone, but when used as “ch” makes a completely different sound.Ultimately, the child will begin to understand how the letters work with each other and will be able to form the correct pronunciation of the word.
For many children, learning to read with phonics starts at school age You can start the learning process at home if you feel your child is ready so don’t feel that you have to wait.There are plenty of fun phonics books available to buy so you can start teaching your child how to read at home.Colourful alphabet phonics books are ideal for those starting out on the learning journey so look out for these in particular.Schools give a lot of time over to learning to read, so do not rush your child through the process at home.
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