Here are some free tips for teaching your child phonics.
Some children seem to be natural readers, and pick up reading skills from being immersed in an environment of reading and language. Other children have more difficulty with decoding written language, and need learn specific phonics skills to sound out words. One way parents can help their children learn to read effectively is reinforce the teaching of vowel sounds at home.
Educational resources have many suggestions for teaching vowel sounds, most of which center on teaching using objects as a concrete focal point for understanding and memorization. A focus on short vowel sounds is usually more necessary than prolonged teaching about long vowel sounds that simply make the sounds of the letter. Parents can find any ideas which they think will hold their child's interest. For example, if your child loves farm animals, model your short vowel scheme after objects such as "˜short u' in "˜duck' and "˜short e' in "˜hen'. You can find objects in your community, yard, or home, such as "˜short i' in "˜fridge' and "˜short a' in "˜apple'. When you have chosen your theme and target words with the appropriate vowel letters and sounds for short a, e, i, o, and u, you are ready to create your display.
Create a fun bulletin board, wall display, felt board cues, or a poster on your personal computer to help reinforce short vowel sounds.
Give your display a title relating to its theme. Be sure to make a label for each object and its corresponding target vowel.
When your display is ready, it now becomes a learning tool, as well as having been a fun process of creation and imagination. Daily, have your child go through her short vowel sounds or theme-related object. You might want to begin with a quick review of long vowels to build your child's confidence, or mix these in to keep feeling of achievement high.
Make use of a sentence stem such as "Short XX says XXXXX" or "XXXX is short XX". To better tie in your theme display of short vowel sounds, depending on the age of your child, use a longer sentence such as, "Short XX says XXXX, like [object]". Use a yard stick or other long stick to point to your display as you practice together. Perhaps you have a play wand at home that you can save for this special task. Let your child choose the order one day, then you take a turn the next, or share the task. Friends and siblings often find this an enjoyable activity as well, and will likely be delighted to help your child learn.
If you want to extend your teaching, search in catalogues, newspapers, the internet, for words or pictures that have your target short vowel and its sound represented. Display these with your body part person, or make a scrapbook with your child. Create a matching game of vowel sounds, or make a game or seeing how many words you can remember with a given short vowel sound. Ask friends and family for examples, and look through your children's books at home and in the library.
Learning short and long vowel sounds is just one part of a program that may help your child learn to decode words with more skill and accuracy. These activities will not only help your child know and recognize short vowel sounds and in turn help her reading skills, but will also keep her interested in reading with a parent. As your child grows, ensure that your reading times together continue as an essential part of your child's learning and growth in school skills.
