Teach Your Child Phonics

Phonics is a widely used method of teaching children how to read. It is often referred to as instructional design for teaching children to read and is taught by teaching children to connect sounds with letters or letter groups. Teaching phonics has not come without controversy. Since the 19th century, critics were calling for the phonics teachings to be annulled from American schools. This ultimately led to the Look and Say approach of teaching with the Dick and Jane series of books and reading instructions.

Phonics repopulated and began to be used once again in the 1950’s and began increase in popularity in the 1980’s. The use of phonics still meets with controversy on this teaching method of reading verses other methods, such as sight words and word recognition. Yet, using the phonics method can help children with sounding out words in both reading and spelling subjects.

If you are interested in teaching your children the phonics method, here are some simple tips that will successfully help you with your venture.

Preschool
To start children out with the phonics instruction use alphabet flash cards to encourage the recognition of each letter. While you are teaching your child the letters of the alphabet be sure to make the sound of each letter. This will help children to begin to recognize the sound effect for each letter. You are encouraged to do the flash cards at least three-four times a week for ten minutes per visit. Unless your child is completely not in the mood to do so, it’s not recommended to push children when they are not in the mood as this will make them feel like learning the alphabet is a chore rather than a fun experience.

Make the experience fun for your child; dance around, give funny words for each letter while you are sounding them out or make the experience a blast. However you feel most comfortable doing it, just make sure your children have fun learning.

Take every opportunity to sound letters out to your child. When you are reading a book, stop a few times to go over different words with your child, without disrupting the flow of the story. When you are in a car sound out words you see on signs on the side of the road.

Main points to address:

• Use the sounds of the letters when reading or practicing the alphabet.
• Use flash cards to get to know the alphabet.

Grades K-3rd
There are a number of phonics programs for parents who would like help teaching their children the phonics games. Many phonics programs that you can purchase have music set to the background with the letters being sounded out. This can be a fun experience for children to dance and learn the letter sounds all while having fun.

Follow the instructions on these programs for maximum success. If you do not purchase one of these phonics programs, you can always provide your own fun, by popping in your favorite music CD and dance around with the flashcards in hand. Just be sure to turn the volume down low enough for your children to hear you.

Children learn much faster when they are laughing and having fun, but even when you can’t have a blast together use all other teaching opportunities to sound out letters and words while traveling in the car, at the grocery store, at the doctor’s office, or anywhere else there are signs with words and letters.

Main points to address:

• Have fun with the phonics program.
• Take every teaching opportunity you have to sound out words and letters.

Resources
Resources that can help you in your venture include:

• Star fall where children have fun learning to read – http://www.starfall.com/
• Teach Phonics with Skill Charts – http://content.scholastic.com
• Phonics – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonics
• Phonics sounds and Alphabet – http://www.genkienglish.net/phonics.htm
• Phonics Games – http://www.gamequarium.com/phonics28.html

Phonics Equipment

• Teach Children – http://teachchildren.com/phonics.html
• Frontline Phonics – http://www.frontlinephonics.com
• Phonics Curriculum – http://www.time4learning.com/phonics-curriculum.shtml
• Flash Cards – http://www.esl-kids.com/flashcards/flashcards.html

Posted in Education.

Related articles

• Teach Your Child About the Solar System

• Teach Your Child About Oceans and Ocean Life

• Teach Your Child the Basics of Music