Ask any parent, teacher or child — learning to read and write is not always an easy task. English is a complex language to learn, as lots of the letters can be pronounced in many different ways. For example, the letter “n” is always pronounced the same, whether it is read in the words run, runner, gnat or know. However, the letter “a” can be pronounced /a/ as in apple, /ay/ as in cape, /ah/ as in wash, or sometimes the letter /a/ isn’t heard at all, as in the words beak or heard. Teaching phonics at an early stage is key, as many of these rules are counterintuitive rather than absorbed naturally.
Whether a child is struggling with reading or this is their first introduction to letter sounds, learning phonics helps children learn to read and write by correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters to form words. Here’s what you need to know about letter sounds and the best methods for teaching phonics to kids.
What is phonics?
Phonics involves matching the way we say words to the letters and groups of letters used to spell them. The English language has 44 sounds (or phonemes), but all kinds of ways to represent them in writing. Understanding phonics as a code for how to say each letter is a useful and simple way of introducing the idea to kids.
Sight words — meaning words that can only be recognized through memorisation versus sounding them out — are especially tricky, such as “the”, “where” or “do”. However, it’s a good idea to ask your child to try to work out the parts of the word that they can handle. For instance, the letter /d/ is certainly doable.
Teaching phonics to kids comes with its challenges, and patience and repetition reap rewards.
Teaching phonics to kids sets the stage for a lifelong benefit. Connecting the way we say words to how they’re spelt helps us remember them. Spending a little time looking at and sounding out a new word can help a child learn it forever.
Tips on teaching phonics
Simplicity is key to successful teaching and learning at early stages. Avoid trying to cover too much ground too quickly, but do introduce high-frequency words that your child sees daily — like “mum”, “dad”, “cat” and “bag”.
Keep the following steps in mind when introducing phonics to your child.
5 steps for teaching phonics
1. Introduce the sounds of each consonant of the alphabet.
Omit the vowels at first, since they are more complex than consonants.
2. Teach short vowel sounds.
Once a child masters the sound of each consonant, you can teach them the short vowel sounds of /a/, /e/, /i/ and /o/. Keep /y/ as only a consonant sound for now.
3. Practise three-letter “CVC” words.
Next, practise three-letter consonant/vowel/consonant (CVC) words, such as “cat”, “bed”, “pin” and “log”.
4. Teach letter digraphs.
Once the CVC words are mastered, you can move on to teaching letter digraphs, which are two-consonant blends at the beginning or end of a word. The list of digraphs is as follows: bl, br, ch, ck, cl, cr, dr, fl, fr, gh, gl, gr, ng, ph, pl, pr, qu, sc, sh, sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, st, sw, th, tr, tw, wh and wr. For example, “shut”, “mash”, “snip” and “with” are words that feature digraphs.
5. Add in long vowels.
Finally, add in the long vowel sounds, plus /y/. For example, teach them “cake”, “bead”, “hive”, “joke”, “tube” and “baby”.
Fun approaches to learning phonics at home
Now that you know the order in which to teach letter sounds, here are some exciting tips and tricks for keeping your child engaged during a reading lesson.
Try flash cards
Flash cards are a fun way to introduce letter sounds. One fun idea is to make an “alphabet train”, where each flash card has a letter of the alphabet on it and is placed in a long line on the floor. If the child knows the letter sound, they get to flip the card over; if not, the letter stays facing upward. Continue playing until the child correctly identifies all 26 letters of the alphabet and their phonetic sounds.
Use sticky notes
Labelling common items around the house or in the car with a sticky note is a smart way to encourage reading throughout the day. Familiarity helps aid the learning process, and seeing words of all difficulty levels every day will help kids get used to reading them.
Play hide-and-seek
Making letter sounds part of everyday games is a great approach to learning phonics at home.
Try sight word bingo
For trickier reading concepts, like sight words, you can make a sight word bingo game to practice identifying these challenging words. Make bingo cards featuring common sight words, then read a list of the words aloud, asking your child to look for them on their cards and cross them off as they find them.
Read rhyming books together
CVC books featuring simple rhyming words are perfect for reinforcing letter sounds. Use them as a springboard for exploring similar words to help your child practise.
Additional resources for teaching phonics to kids
Repetition is key when it comes to learning phonics, so try to make it part of your daily routine. Here are some engaging ways to keep your child excited about learning to read.
Electronics
There are countless online games that are helpful in teaching letter sounds, phonetic awareness and sight words. Making learning fun is a great and healthy way to make use of your kids’ screen time.
Games
In addition to flash cards, there are spin-and-read letter blocks, the movable alphabet and a timeless classic: Scrabble. These games will keep your child engaged and excited to read on their journey to learning phonics.
Books
Go to the local library and take out simple rhyming or CVC books.
Professional help
A professional will be able to discern whether your child has a reading difficulty, such as dyslexia. If your child seems to be having trouble reading, get in touch with their school and work together to investigate and deal with the issue. Don’t be afraid to seek out extra help from their teachers or other tutors and reading specialists.
It’s also worth keeping an eye on your child’s vision. The real issue impacting their ability to read may be a problem with their eyesight.
The bottom line on phonics for kids
As you begin to teach your child phonics, there are endless opportunities to practice reading and sounding out words just about everywhere. In addition to reading labels at the supermarket and putting the subtitles on while your child watches their favourite TV programme, you can make recognising letters and words a regular practice. You can find words everywhere, from shop names to street signs: make sure you’re exploring them with your child in everyday life. After all, practice makes perfect, and the more you help your little one discover the exciting world of phonics, the bigger the benefits they’ll reap in the long run.