Phonemic awareness is the biggest predictor of reading ability, along with knowledge of letter names. But what is it?
It is the ability to recognize that our speech can be broken into small sounds.
Phonemic awareness is developed through frequent interaction with nursery rhymes, jingles, poetry,
and books that contain words with rhymes and alliteration.
Rhyming and word families are a fun place to start. Children love to make silly words by changing the first sound in a word. For example, you could change the first letter in their name and decide if it makes a real word or a silly word - Kate, late date, rate, bate, sate...
Talk about what the rhymes are. Many children don't understand the concept of a rhyme when they come to kindergarten. Nursery rhymes and Dr. Seuss are two great sources for rhyming. Ask your child to think of another word that rhymes with one in the story.
Singing songs is another way to teach rhyming. Raffi songs such as "Down By the Bay" or Wee Sing songs are lots of fun.
As your child progresses, you can talk about how many parts (syllables) a word has. We clap for the parts in our names when we meet our new friends in kindergarten. Try using a musical instrument to count out the parts. Or slide pennies for each part in a word. It helps teach the idea that words can be broken down. It also makes us be careful listeners!
This leads up to hearing individual sounds in words. Beginning sounds are the easiest to identify, followed by ending sounds, and finally medial sounds. Group picture cards by their initial sounds. Try to think of as many things as you can that start with Bb. What can we make for dinner that starts with Pp (pizza, potatoes, peas, pickles...)? The key is to talk about it often and make it fun!
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