Phonemic awareness is a category of phonological awareness. Phonemic awareness is the ability to notice the individual sounds in spoken words.

Before children learn to read print, they should begin to hear the sounds in the spoken language.

Can your child hear the sound that words begin with? Your child does not have to know letters or sounds to hear the beginning sounds in words. Name words with the same beginning sounds. For example, mom, monkey, man, and moon all begin with the /”m” sound. Can you think of other words that begin with that sound? Once your child can isolate and name beginning sounds, then isolate ending sounds. The ending sound in sit is “t”.

Separate the sounds in a given word into its individual sounds. For example: What are the sounds you hear in the word dog? “d” “o” “g” Up? “u” “p” Frog? “f” “r” “o” “g” Mat? “m” “a” “t”

Why is Phonemic Awareness Important?\ o Phonemic awareness skills improves children’s ability to read. o Phonemic awareness skills helps children learn to spell.\ Phonemic awareness is the understanding that the sounds of the spoken language work together to make words.

Identifying and making rhymes is another category of phonological awareness. Can your child hear and name rhyming words? Rhyming words are words with the same ending sounds. Have fun with rhyming words. What words rhyme with your name? The word that rhymes can be a real word or a nonsense word. Have fun reciting/reading nursery rhymes. Many children’s books also have rhyming words. Have fun with rhymes. Make up silly songs with rhymes. For example: Did you ever see a goat in a boat? Did you ever see a goat in a boat? No, I’ve never, no I’ve never, no I’ve never, no I’ve never, No I’ve never seen a goat in a boat! Children love rhyming fun!