Why Phonemic Awareness is the Building Block of Reading Success
As children start their journey of learning to read, it’s important that they not only recognize letters and words but also develop the ability to understand the relationship between the sounds of language and the symbols that represent those sounds. This crucial ability is known as phonemic awareness and it is widely considered as the foundation of reading success.
What is Phonemic Awareness?
Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate the individual sounds (or phonemes) in spoken words. This includes the ability to break words down into their component parts and blend them back together, as well as to understand that different spoken words can have different numbers of phonemes.
When a child is taught phonemic awareness, they learn how to hear, identify, and manipulate these sounds in spoken words. For instance, they may be asked to identify the first sound in a word (such as “cat” starting with “c”) or segment words into individual sounds (such as “bat” being made up of the sounds “b-a-t”).
Why is Phonemic Awareness So Important?
Phonemic awareness is essential for learning to read, as it helps children to understand the fundamental building blocks of language. This is because words are made up of sounds and recognizing how those sounds work together is critical for understanding written language.
Research has shown that children who struggle with phonemic awareness are at a higher risk of reading difficulties, because they may struggle with sounding out words and understanding the relationship between words on a page and the sounds they represent. However, by helping children strengthen their phonemic awareness skills, educators and parents can improve their ability to read and understand written language.
How Can Parents and Educators Help Develop Phonemic Awareness?
There are many effective strategies that parents and educators can use to help develop phonemic awareness in children.
One approach is to use games and activities that engage children with phonemes, such as rhyming games, segmenting and blending activities, or phonics instruction. Additionally, reading aloud to children and encouraging them to read independently can help build their overall language skills, which in turn can improve their phonemic awareness.
Furthermore, there are a variety of computer and mobile apps available that can support phonemic awareness development in children. Many of these apps use interactive, game-like experiences to teach children about phonemic awareness in a fun and engaging way.
Conclusion
Phonemic awareness is critical for children as they learn to read and understand written language. By helping children to recognize and manipulate the sounds that make up words, educators and parents can support reading success and improve overall language development. Whether through using games and activities, reading aloud, or using technology to teach phonemic awareness, there are many effective strategies to help children strengthen this fundamental skill.
