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Phonological awareness is the ability to hear, identify and manipulate sounds in language, from phonemes and syllables to whole words. But why does it matter so much in early literacy?
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Understanding Phonological Awareness
Phonological awareness includes a range of skills include:
- Spotting and producing rhymes
- Identifying alliteration i.e. when the same sound is repeated in consecutive words (e.g. repetition of initial sounds, like “rub a dub dub”)
- Knowing where each word starts and ends in a sentence
- Clapping out syllables in words
- Breaking words into onset (the initial sound) and rime (the rest of the word)
- Hearing and working with individual sounds (aka ‘phonemes’), in words
Unlike phonics, which connects sounds to written letters, phonological awareness is all about what children hear and say—no print required. These skills can be practiced with eyes closed, making them purely about listening and speaking.
Why Is Phonological Awareness So Important?
Phonological awareness is a critical predictor of how strong a child’s reading and spelling skills will go on to be. Children who develop strong phonological awareness are better equipped to:
- Decode words when reading
- Encode words when spelling
- Identify patterns in language
- Build a robust vocabulary
Without phonological awareness skills, children may struggle to connect sounds to letters, making reading and writing much more challenging.
The Building Blocks: Levels of Phonological Awareness
Phonological awareness develops in stages, from simple to complex. Here’s how these skills typically unfold:
| Level | Example Activity |
| Word Awareness | Being able to tell where each word begins and ends in a spoken sentence by counting the words in it |
| Syllable Awareness | Clapping out the beats in “el-e-phant” |
| Onset-Rime Awareness | Identifying the /c/ and /at/ in “cat” |
| Phonemic Awareness | Hearing and manipulating individual sounds |
How Can You Support Phonological Awareness at Home or in the Classroom?
- Play with Language: Sing songs, recite nursery rhymes, and read books with rhythm and rhyme.
- Get Moving: Use clapping, stomping, or tapping to break words into syllables.
- Spot the Sounds: Play games that ask children to identify words that start with the same sound or to find rhyming pairs.
- Manipulate Sounds: Practice adding, deleting, or changing sounds in words (e.g. say cat without the /k/ sound, then add ‘b’ to make ‘bat’, and then ‘h’ to make ‘hat’).
The Role of Explicit Instruction
A systematic explicit approach to teaching phonological awareness is central to effective reading instruction. Programs that include activities to help develop phonological awareness, which are most programs compatible with the Science of Reading, have been shown to significantly boost children’s reading outcomes. Our Readiculous app game is based around this teaching principle. Through a series of fun mini games, children encounter different sounds multiple times, cementing their phonological awareness while they’re having fun.
Final Thoughts
Phonological awareness is more than just a buzzword—it’s the essential groundwork for reading and writing. By nurturing these skills early, parents and educators can set children on the path to literacy success, helping them become confident, enthusiastic readers.
https://mrswordsmith.com
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