Between the Lines

Phonemic awareness is the ability to understand that spoken words are made up of individual sounds called phonemes, and it's one of the best early predictors for reading success. Here’s some good news: One of the simplest ways to help develop phonemic awareness (and rhyming, in particular) is by reciting nursery rhymes. Research suggests that hearing, learning, and reciting nursery rhymes can help young children take the first steps toward becoming proficient readers.

There are also some games that you can play that can help to build phonemic awareness:

‘I Spy …’

Great for a walk to the shops. Begin by saying “I spy with my little eye something that …”, and continue by adding ‘begins with ssssss’, or ‘rhymes with bear’, or ‘ends with at’. Invite your child to guess the word.

Where’s Spot?

If your child finds I Spy too difficult, try Where’s Spot? Choose a hiding place for a small toy, and say, for instance, “Spot’s hiding behind/under/in something that starts with /b/ (Say the sound and not the letter.) Where could that be?”

A Trip to the Moon

A good game for the drive home! Begin the game by saying “We’re going on a trip to the moon. You can come if you bring something.” The ‘something’ will depend on the category you choose:

• matching – “You need to bring something that starts with ‘s’ (Say the sound).”
• rhymes – “You need to bring something that rhymes with “van’.”

Have players take turns to say “I will bring a …”  Continue the game until you reach the front door, or until the choices have run out.

 Snap and Clap

Snap and Clap makes use of rhythm and repetition to encourage your child to focus on rhyming words. Begin with a simple snap, clap rhythm and then say a word. Challenge your child to repeat the snap, clap rhythm and provide a rhyming word at the end. For example:

snap, snap, clap (you say) light

snap, snap, clap (your child says) right

snap, snap, clap (you say) might

Continue until you run out of rhyming words. Focus on the rhyming words and not on following a complicated clapping pattern.

Do you have questions about supporting your child’s reading and writing at home? Send an email to petra.cole@cg.catholic.edu.au.