10 Effective Days Of Teaching Phonics To Your Kids

So are you ready to start teaching phonics to your kids to help them to read? I remember when I realized that Jael was ready. She was picking up books and pretending to read to her toys. Whenever she had the chance, she tried to blend sounds together to make a word. Naturally, all the self-doubt kicked in about whether or not I had what it took to teach my kid, and if (okay, it was more of a when) I would fail. I was also scared that I would mess up my kid for life.

I want to spare you the stress and sleepless nights and self-doubts- you don’t need that. If I can spare you from becoming overwhelmed by phrases such as ‘phonics’, ‘letter sounds’, or ‘phonemes’ then I will do it. So I decided that I would share with you 10 Days of Teaching Phonics to Your Kids. I will share what has worked for us as well as what hasn’t. Keep in mind, I am just a regular mom like you who taught her kid to read.

Is There A Difference Between Teaching Phonics and Teaching The Letter Sounds

I won’t lie- this question stumped me for so long. I asked my friends who were teachers and a few that were homeschoolers. I even Googled (probably shouldn’t have one that) as well as read books. At the end of the day, they are both the same thing- it just depends on who you are talking to. Go figure! Teachers tend to say ‘teaching phonics’ while us parents like to keep it real by saying, ‘teach letter sounds’

So What Is Phonics?

Phonics is simply teaching your child that the written word and the spoken word are best buds. It’s letting them know that /x/ is the letter x and it says /ks/. Keep in mind this is my summary version of it. If you wanted to read a more detailed definition, then try Teach Phonics at Home as well as taking a trip down Google lane.

While traveling along Google lane, you may come upon a word called a phoneme. It’s simply the sounds in each word- so don’t get too scared. For example, the word boy is actually /b/ /o/ /y/ has 3 phonemes

When Do I Start Teaching My Kids Then?

Okay, you may not want to hear this but it will save you and your kids a ton of stress. Are you ready? Don’t start trying to teach your kids to read if they are not interested. Just don’t do it.

You also want to ensure that:

They know the letters and the sounds of each letter (they don’t have to know all of them but most)
They know how to use a book (pick it up, hold it, know it’s read from left to right)
They can play with words (rhyming, clap to syllables, etc)
They listen and can follow simple instructions

If your kids meet these criteria, then it’s time to start reading! Don’t cry if they are not at that stage as yet- every child is different. Simply work on each area with a few fun activities- they don’t need the added pressure.