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How Parents and Families Support Phonological Awareness at Home

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Read and match nonsense words. Be sure to read them out loud! If your child can say the whole word right away without sounding it out - do that! If they need more support, let them say each sound individually and then say the whole word.

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Wordwall - Create better lessons quicker

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Tap a pair of tiles at a time to reveal if they are a match.. gok, pid, mox, fem, zaf, hud, Make an interactive teaching resource in one minute.

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Science of Reading & Structured Literacy for Parents

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Science of Reading & Structured Literacy for Parents

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Interboro is proud to be implementing Structured Literacy based on the Science of Reading. Listen to what that means for your child's literacy development!

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Science of Reading & Structured Literacy for Parents

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ParentPowered - Evidence-Based Family Engagement

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6 Effective Reading Comprehension Strategies for Families

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These reading comprehension strategies boost student literacy at home and ParentPowered’ everyday learning moments bring them right to families.

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Parent Guide to Early Reading Skills K-3

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Parent Guide to Early Reading Skills K-3

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Learn what each grade level should be able to do in K-3 created by 'Read by 4th,' a Philadelphia based initiative.

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Parent Guide to Early Reading Skills Handout - Lori Severino

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Matching upper-case and lower-case

Teachers can use the following activity to ask students to help the "Mama animals" (uppercase letters) find their "babies" (lowercase letters). This game includes matching the uppercase mothers with their lowercase babies. See example ›

This link provides a template for a printable "Superhero" upper- and lowercase letter match game. See example ›

This file includes uppercase and lowercase letters in a matching game that parents can use with their child at home. See example ›

This link provides templates for printing cards to use for writing uppercase and lowercase letters. See example ›

Letter formation: using sand, play dough, or flour

This link provides teachers with downloadable mats with the alphabet letters for helping children use play dough for learning letter formation. See example ›

Letter bingo

Bingo is a simple game that children enjoy and can be used to help them learn about the upper- and lowercase letters. This link allows teachers to print the letters and board needed to play letter bingo. See example ›

Letter stamps

Stamps are an excellent "hands-on" activity for helping students learn about the alphabet. The activity described in the link below provides teachers with some creative ideas for making letter stamps out of sponges. Teachers can use sponges and paint in a variety of ways to help children understand the shape and function of upper- and lowercase letters. See example ›

Letter recognition fluency

This online document contains several activities that are helpful for building letter recognition fluency. Teachers can download materials needed and follow the instructions for each activity. There are also some ideas included for extending and adapting each activity to further enhance learning. Some examples are provided below. Download activities ›

Speedy Alphabet Arc: Teachers can download and print a copy of the alphabet "arc" and have students use letters to match the ones on the arc. Parents could use this idea at home with magnetic letters by placing the arc on the refrigerator and have the child match the letters. Using a timer and seeing how quickly the child can match the letters is optional.

Glow Go: This activity includes the use of glow in the dark chalk and black construction paper. Students can work together taking turns using a flashlight and naming the letters.

Hungry Letter Mouse: Teachers can utilize this activity for students to work on letter recognition in pairs using an eraser and dry erase marker. One student can use the eraser to be the mouse and the other student names the letter before the "mouse" eats it (i.e., erases it).

Letter books

Teachers can use the downloadable materials form this website to create letter books in which each page contains one letter. The kids draw or cut pictures from magazines that start with the particular letter and glue them into their "book." See example ›

Downloadable letter and alphabet cards

Flash cards

The link listed below provides teachers with downloadable ESL flashcards. These are free and printable for use within the classroom. There are large sets for use with teaching letters and vocabulary, and smaller sets for language learning games. See example ›

This website provides printable color flashcards that are great for teaching upper- and lowercase letters. These cards are free and use the Zaner Bloser font which is very simplistic - ideal for teaching young children. See example ›

Alphabet cards

The downloadable alphabet cards available from this link have various fonts to choose from, color picture cards to accompany the letters, and creative ideas for activities. See example ›

Race track alphabet

The website below offers teachers the ability to download letters of the alphabet in race-track format. Children can use toy cars to trace around the letters to help learn the formation. See example ›

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Very young learners are developing their understanding of the alphabetic principle - the understanding that there are systematic and predictable relationships between written letters and spoken sounds. Teachers can help students develop this understanding through lots of fun activities that help students explore the alphabet letters and sounds.

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Follow the directions to have your child practice letter formation and sounds in a fun way!

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Using meaningful conversations to develop oral retell

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Using meaningful conversations to develop oral retell

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4.1 When I Read to You (Because of Winn Dixie) (REL Southeast)

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Try these 4 First Sound Fluency activities at home to help support your beginning reader!

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Acadience- At Home Support  First Sound Fluency

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Help your child become more fluent with letter naming by playing this Missing Letters game. It can easily be made by writing letters on paper instead of printing!

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Help build your child's automaticity with letter naming. This activity can easily be made at home with blue and red crayons, and some paper!

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Reading Rockets - Beginning Reading Support for Parents

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Reading Rockets - Beginning Reading Support for Parents

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Explore this page about phonemic awareness activities and beyond! Reading Rockets is a great, reliable source of information for parents and educators.

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That's a complicated sounding term, but it's meaning is simple: the ability to hear, recognize, and play with the sounds in spoken language. Phonological awareness is really a group of skills that include a child's ability to:

Identify words that rhyme

Count the number of syllables in a name

Recognize alliteration (words with the same beginning sound)

Segment (break) a sentence into words

Identify the syllables in a word

The most sophisticated phonological awareness skill (and the last to develop) is called phonemic awareness - the ability to hear, recognize, and play with the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. When playing with the sounds in word, children learn to:

Blend individual sounds to make a word

Stretch out a word into its individual sounds

Swap in a different sound to the beginning, middle, or end of a word to make a new word

Strong phonemic awareness is one of the strongest predictors of later reading success. Children who struggle with reading, including kids with dyslexia, often have trouble with phonemic awareness, but with the right kind of instruction they can be successful. Learn some of the warning signs for dyslexia in this article, Clues to Dyslexia in Early Childhood.

Your first grader should be able to recognize rhyming words and create their own rhyming word pairs or sets ( big, dig, fig). See if your child can also identify the first, middle and last sounds they hear in a word, and show you how many sounds are in simple one-syllable words using their fingers ( sit = s-i-t = 3 sounds).

Parents can make a big difference in helping their children become readers by practicing these pre-reading oral skills at home. Try some of the simple rhyming and word sound games described here.

Try these speech sound activities at home

Syllable shopping

While at the grocery store, have your child tell you the syllables in different food names. Have them hold up a finger for each word part. Eggplant = egg-plant, two syllables. Pineapple = pine-ap-ple, three syllables. Show your child the sign for each and ask her to say the word.

Rhyme time

"I am thinking of an animal that rhymes with big. What's the animal?" Answer: pig. What else rhymes with big? (dig, fig, wig)

Road trip rhymes

While you're out driving in the car, spot something out the window and ask your child, "what rhymes with tree or car or shop?" Then switch roles and have your child spot something and ask you for a rhyme. This can turn into a game of nonsense rhymes ("What rhymes with tree stump?") but that's great for practicing sounds, too!

Word families

Word families are sets of words that rhyme. Start to build your family by giving your child the first word, for example, cat. Then ask your child to name all the "kids" in the cat family, such as: bat, fat, sat, rat, pat, mat, hat, flat. This will help your child hear patterns in words.

Silly tongue twisters

Sing songs, read rhyming books, and say silly tongue twisters. These help your child become sensitive to the sounds in words.

Sound games

Practice blending sounds into words. Ask "Can you guess what this word is? m - o - p." Hold each sound longer than normal.

One sound at a time

Certain sounds, such as /s/ or /m/are great sounds to start with. The sound is distinct, and can be exaggerated easily. "Please pass the mmmmmmmmilk." "Look! There's a ssssssssssnake!" It's also easy to describe how to make the sound with your mouth. "Close your mouth and lips to make the sound. Now put your hand on your throat. Do you feel the vibration?"

Tongue ticklers

Alliteration or "tongue ticklers" - where the sound you're focusing on is repeated over and over again - can be a fun way to provide practice with a speech sound. Try these:

For M: Miss Mouse makes marvelous meatballs!

For S: Silly Sally sings songs about snakes and snails.

For F: Freddy finds fireflies with a flashlight.

"I Spy" first sounds

Practice beginning sounds with this simple game: ask your child questions like, "I spy something red that starts with /s/."

Sound sleuth

Choose a letter sound, then have your child find things around your house that start with the same sound. "Can you find something in our house that starts with the letter "p" pppppp sound? Picture, pencil, pear "

"I Spy" blending

Here's an easy phoneme blending game you can play while talking a walk. For blending, you can say, "I see a sign that says s-t-o-p" Then your child has to blend the sounds to guess your word - stop. (Remember to say only the sounds in the word - not the letters.) Keep the words short, moving from two to three to four sounds depending on your child's skill level.

Jump, skip, hop!

Create simple picture cards that you draw or cut out of magazines. Have your child, identify what's in the picture, and then break that word into its individual sounds. For example dog is d-o-g, three sounds (phonemes). Three sounds? You and your child do three jumping jacks, skips, or hops (followed by a high-five). You can also do this game outdoors without the cards, just call out simple words for your child.

Snail talk

Tell your child you're going to communicate in "snail talk" and they need to figure out what you're saying. Take a simple word and stretch it out very slowly (e.g., /fffffllllaaaag/), then ask your child to tell you the word. Switch roles and have your child stretch out a word for you.

First sounds

When you're reading together with your child, pick a word from the book and say it with emphasis on the first sound. Pick another word and compare them. "Zzz-zookeeper and rrr-rhinoceros. Can you hear what sound zzz-zookeeper starts with? Is it the same as rrr-rhinoceros?

Sound counting

Using LEGO bricks, beads, or pennies, say a word and have your child show you how many sounds the word makes. For example, top = t-o-p = three sounds, so your child would place three objects in a row. Then have them tap each object as they say the sound. Remember, your child is just showing you the sounds they hear. So the word bike would be = b-i-k (silent e) = only three sounds.

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Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for Your First Grader

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Phonological and phonemic awareness are important pre-reading skills, related to the ability to hear, identify, and play with the sounds in spoken language - including rhymes, syllables, and the smallest units of sound (phonemes). Children with strong phonological awareness skills are ready to become readers.

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Read real and nonsense words quickly to earn points in this game! If your child can say the whole word right away without sounding it out - do that! If they need more support, let them say each sound individually and then say the whole word.

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Wordwall - Create better lessons quicker

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Gameshow quiz - A multiple choice quiz with time pressure, lifelines and a bonus round.

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Make sure your child is saying the letter sounds correctly with this video!

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Interboro implements OG through IMSE to reach all of our students! Structured literacy is based on the science of reading and is a proven, evidence based way to instruct reading.

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Structured Literacy with IMSE: Powerful Tools for Lifelong Readers

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When thinking of vocabulary instruction and learning the meaning of words, many consider the rote action of looking the word up in the dictionary. Dictionary use is a necessary skill that should be taught, but research has told us that dictionary definitions are inaccessible to most students ( Scott & Nagy, 1997 ; Marzano, 2004 ).

For example, the definition of the word relieved in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is "experiencing or showing relief especially from anxiety or pent-up emotion." In order to know what relieved means, the student must have previously learned the definitions of the words: experience, relief, especially, anxiety, pent-up, and emotion. Many students walk away from this experience feeling anything but! If these words are known and the definition does make sense, exposure to word meaning from a one-time dictionary look-up does not ensure transfer to long term memory.
But what can be done to make vocabulary building less remote and more effective and authentic for your child?

1. Word Harvesting: Your child must buy into the significance of learning the meaning of words and building vocabulary to understand how authors and speakers use words. This can evolve authentically as you engage your child through discussions and read-alouds. Encourage your child to stop and clarify the meaning of a word or phrase when necessary. When together you are reading, watching a show, or just having a discussion at the dinner table, a list of words can be created and added for further analysis. A vocabulary notebook can be used to store words that you 'harvested'. You can bank on the fact that words with meaning to your child's life and interests will spark a desire for a broader analysis of word structure, meaning, usage (grammar), and relationships to other words.

2. Specific Word Instruction: Now that you have this bank of words, really take the time to learn one! Guide your child in creating a word web using a graphic organizer that allows for a child-friendly definition, an illustration of the word, some antonyms and synonyms, related words, etc. There is no limit to the details that can be included. This web can be differentiated based on your child's skills and strengths. Vocabulary cartoons can also be a fun and expressive way to embed to memory the meaning of a word. Silly illustrations with a relevant sentence encourage a deeper dive into word meaning because it involves creating one's own example of the word.

3. Word Learning Strategies: In addition to learning how to use a dictionary, instruction in morphemes and context clues can deepen one's knowledge of word meaning and use in talks and texts.

Morphemic analysis is a strategy in which the meanings of words can be determined by examining their meaningful parts (i.e., prefixes, suffixes, roots, etc.). A morpheme is the smallest possible string of sounds that still has meaning and cannot be reduced any smaller. For example, the prefix mis- (meaning: mistaken or wrong) can be added to a base word to change the meaning. When we add mis- to the word understanding (meaning: comprehension), it results in a word meaning mistakenly or wrongfully comprehended. This granular example explains how adding word parts together can create new meanings and usages of words. Prefixes and suffixes, and Greek and Latin roots can be learned to help your child determine the meaning of a word when reading.

Contextual analysis is a strategy in which a reader uses context and hints that the author gives to help define an unknown word and build vocabulary . These clues may be the word's definition, a synonym or antonym, or an example or explanation. The clues can be found in the same sentence as the word or somewhere within the paragraph. Your child can be taught to look for these clues to clarify the meaning and use of a word. It is crucial to learn that context matters. For example, the word snake is pretty simplistic. One possibly conjures an image of a reptile that slithers through a garden. However, snake can be used as a verb (The park's bench snaked around the perimeter.) or as an adjective (That snake of a fellow stole my favorite cap!). A person must look for clues and notice how the word snake is used to make sense of what is said or written.

4. Word Play: Have some fun! Many word games can support the learning of words. No need to reinvent the wheel. Here is a list of word games you can play with your child.

Word Ladders

Boggle

Making Words with tiles

Bingo

Crossword Puzzles

Hangman

Memory Games

Why do we need to teach vocabulary at all?

The National Reading Panel (2000) named vocabulary as one of the essential components of reading. A student should be instructed in vocabulary building as early as kindergarten because when a child progresses into higher grades, comprehension is affected by word knowledge. A child will have more difficulty making sense of a text if the meanings of words and usage are unknown.

Vocabulary building expands and deepens as a student progresses into higher grades. Learning vocabulary through explicit and implicit strategies results in improved reading comprehension and written expression. Vocabulary instruction can occur before, during, and after reading a text. Although much of what is explained in this article is meant to be engaging and fun for your child, more importantly, it is effective, purposeful, and will allow your child to never be at a loss for words.
Note: The use of teacher jargon was avoided but idioms, homonyms, phrasal verbs, and puns are hiding in plain sight.
References

Diamond, Linda & Gutlohn, Linda (2006). Vocabulary Handbook. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing; Berkeley, CA: CORE

Marzano, R.J. (2004). The developing vision of vocabulary instruction. In J.F. Baumann & E. J. Kame'enui (Eds.), Vocabulary Instruction: From research to practice. (pp. 159-176). New York: Guilford Press.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and its Implications for Reading Instruction (NIH Publication No. 00-4769). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office (n.d.) Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://nichcy.org.

Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project offering a wealth of research-based reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read, and how to read better. Their reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators help struggling readers build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. Copyright © 2017 WETA Public Broadcasting.

Scott, J.A., & Nagy, W.E. (1997). Understanding the definitions of unfamiliar words. Reading Research Quarterly, 32, 184-200.

Sprenger, M. (2017). 101 Strategies to Make Academic Vocabulary Stick. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

About the Author

Grace Biener is certified as a Reading Specialist in N.J. and as a Structured Literacy Teacher (SLT) from the International Dyslexia Association. She has a Masters of Arts in Education with a concentration in Teaching and Leadership. Her experience in education includes classroom teaching, reading intervention, coaching, and curriculum writing. In addition to working as an Elementary Reading Interventionist in NJ, Grace is a Level 3 IMSE OG Master Instructor and works to train and supervise teachers in IMSE's OG methodology.
Sign up for our LIVE virtual Orton-Gillingham training! We are now offering half-day, evening, and weekend options to best fit your schedule. The IMSE approach allows teachers to incorporate the five components essential to an effective reading program into their daily lessons: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. The approach is based on the Orton-Gillingham methodology and focuses on explicit, direct instruction that is sequential, structured, and multi-sensory. It is IMSE's mission that all children must have the ability to read to fully realize their potential. We are committed to providing teachers with the knowledge and tools to prepare future minds.

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Ways to Help Your Child Build Vocabulary | IMSE Journal

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When thinking of vocabulary instruction and learning the meaning of words, many consider the rote action of looking the word up in the dictionary. Dictionary use is a necessary skill that should be taught, but research has told us that dictionary definitions are inaccessible to most students ( Scott & Nagy, 1997 ; Marzano, 2004 ).

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IMSE is Here to Support
You and Your Growing Reader.

Early literacy development is vital to a child's success in school and beyond.
Even if you took to reading and writing naturally as a child, you shouldn't
assume that your children will too. That is why it is important to nurture their
literacy skills and understand how the brain learns to read.

Where Do I Start?

For the best start, parents should understand the five essential components
to reading instruction and how they best fit in each grade level. These
components include:

Phonological Awareness

Phonological awareness The awareness that words are composed of sounds and those sounds have distinct articulatory features.

Phonics

Phonics Phonics is the ability to recognize letter-sound relationships in words.

Fluency

Fluency Fluency is the ability to read at an appropriate pace with accuracy and proper expression.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary Vocabulary size and word-meaning strategies predict comprehension.

Comprehension

Comprehension Understanding the meaning of text and integrating it with previous knowledge.

How Can I Help My Reader at Home?

Find more information below for age and grade level appropriate skills and
activities. We encourage parents to begin activities in the lower levels to help
analyze your child's development.

Pre-Kindergarten (Birth - 4 Years Old)

Phonological awareness is the foundation for learning to read. Phonological awareness skills begin to develop as a baby and throughout preschool beginning with the concept of a spoken word, recognizing and producing rhyme, and transitioning into syllable awareness around kindergarten. You can help your child develop these skills by making language a part of daily life.
Check out these Phonological Awareness Resources for parents of students in pre-kindergarten:

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade (5 - 7 Years Old)

Once students enter kindergarten, they will move into more advanced phonological awareness skills and begin to be taught foundational phonics skills. Setting the foundation with phonological awareness and phonics will help children prepare for more advanced concepts helping them develop into fluent readers. Fluency is the bridge to comprehension and typically develops around first grade. Fluency can be practiced in several ways, including repeated readings, reader theaters, and decodable readers.
Check out these Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Fluency Resources for parents of students in kindergarten through second-grade:

3rd Grade and Beyond (8+ Years Old)

Around 3rd grade, there is a shift from learning to read to reading to learn. While many students may begin to read more for pleasure at this point, comprehension can be significantly affected because of the lack of vocabulary knowledge. Over half of the words students will encounter in texts will be multisyllabic. It is essential that students be taught prefixes, suffixes, and base words. Common Latin and Greek bases can be introduced after that. Breaking words down to the smallest units of meaning, called morphemes can help students build understanding and increase comprehension.
Check out these Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension Resources for parents of students in third-grade and beyond:

Steps for Parents of Struggling Readers

Ensure you are doing all that you can to help your struggling reader by taking the
below steps to address your child's learning both at homeand in the classroom

3. Communicate

Communicate any concerns you may have about your child's reading with their teacher or principal.

5. Inquire

Inquire about programs and materials you can be using at home to help with reading support.

6. Observe

Ask to sit in on your child's reading lessons to understand how they best learn.

Explore Free Resources

IMSE is constantly providing free resources for parents to use with their struggling readers at home. Be sure to follow IMSE on Instagram to learn how you can use these tools at home.
Follow IMSE

1-in-5 Children Struggle with
Dyslexia. Know the Signs!

Visit our Orton-Gillingham.com resource site to
learn more about dyslexia and resources to help
you understand how to effectively teach all
children to learn to read.
Learn More

Looking for an IMSE-Trained Tutor?

Many of IMSE's Instructors and certified members are also tutors in their areas.
Search our database to find an IMSE-approved tutor near you.

IMSE is a proud partner of Learning Ally, a national, non-profit organization
that has helped millions of students who are blind, dyslexic, or have other
learning disabilities, achieve confidence and independence in the classroom
and in life. Learning Ally has a large community of tutors nationally. Search
their tutor database here.

Products for Parents

IMSE offers a variety of resources that can assist parents of struggling readers.
From activity books to parent videos, all our products can be used to help
children learn to write, read, and spell.

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IMSE | institute for multi-sensory education

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Parents are a child's first teacher. IMSE offers support to parents so you can learn how to teach a child to read in the beginning stages of literacy development.

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Try these 5 phoneme segmentation activities at home to help support your beginning reader!

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Acadience- At Home Support  Phoneme Segmentation Fluency Activities