Why do we use phonics?
Phonics is one way of teaching young children to read. It is a very important step in the process of learning to read, particularly for children aged 5-7 yrs.
What are phonics?
Phonics are the different sounds that each individual letter makes. In school children are taught to recognise:
i) The sounds that each letter makes.
ii) The sounds that different combinations of letters make; such as ‘ch’ and ‘sh’.
iii) How to blend these sounds together to make a word.
How can you as a parent help?
- Use phonic cards with your child to identify the different sounds. You can make these yourself or buy a set of cards.(see link below).
- When you read with your child, highlight the different sounds.
- Encourage your child to ‘sound out’ words they are not sure of, blending the sounds together.
- Aim to read with your child everyday.
There
are lots of lovely resources available to help parents teach their
child phonics. Here are a few that we recommend at Blackhen Education:
https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/i
https://www.jollylearning.co.uk/jolly-phonics/i
https://www.mrthornenetwork.com/phonics/
For more information about phonics, reading and our Foundation course for 4 – 5 year olds, feel free to contact me at: [email protected] or download a FREE Parent Pack from our website.