Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic Awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds in words. We can tell how many sounds are in a word, which words rhyme or even change a word by changing the sound. Research says that Phonemic Awareness and Letter Knowledge are the two best indicators of how well a child will learn to read during their first two years of school. Children who develop strong phonemic awareness skills at an early age are more likely to become fluent readers and better spellers than children who do not.

Rhyming:

• Read nursery rhymes and Dr. Seuss books and have your child pick out the rhyming words.

• Say a word. Have your child say a word that rhymes with it.

• Have your child give you a thumbs up if you say two words that rhyme or thumbs down if they don't rhyme.

First Sound Fluency:

• Ask your child to tell you the first sound they hear in a word. Cut pictures out of magazines and put them in a paper bag and have your child pick a picture and tell you the first sound they hear in the word.

• Play "I Spy" with beginning sounds of words "I spy something that begins with /m/".

• Have a sound scavenger hunt. Have your child find 3 things around the house that begin with a certain sound.

Letter Naming Activities:

• Singing the Alphabet Song at various speeds- slow, normal, and fast. Have your child touch each letter as you sing the song.

• Sing the alphabet song to "Mary Had a Little Lamb":

ABCDEFG

HIJ

KLM

NOPQRST

UVWXYZ

Play word games with your child:

• Parent says, "bag" Ask your child, "What sounds do you hear in the word "bag?" Your child should say each individual sound- "b"-"a"-"g"

• Parent says the sounds "p"-"a"-"t" Ask your child, "What word do those sounds make?"

For additional activities, please click on the link below:

https://www.kindermusik.com/mindsonmusic/3-ways-to-enhance-phonemic-awareness-with-music/

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/tips-teaching-your-child-about-phonemes