Phonemic Awareness Parent Handout- Kindergarten What is Phonemic Awareness? Phenemic artarenees is the abilty to hear and manipulate individual soundsin words. Calidren must firstun derstand thatwords are made up of separate speech sounds that can be biended together to ake words belore Tey can make sense of using te aphabet fo read and write. Research has Identified phonemic awareness and Leiter knowledge as the best two predictors of how well a child will eam to read during te frst two years of school (National Reading Panel, 2000), Chitcren who develop sttong phonemic awereness skis at an eatiy age are mare likely to become fiuent readers, ‘and better spellers tan children whe do not. What should my Kindergartener be able to do? By tne end of kindergaiten, children strauidbe able 1 1 Identify whatn oF words rhyme (nat, mat sun, bug) + Pron fe a word tat mymas with an ofer (tell me a word tat mymes with ‘sun”) 4+ Blend syllables or onsetrmas into a wore (cupcake “cupcake” mr Japr."ep") lap oF Count svtedles m a 1 103 syle wore vide the fret sound in aword (wat isthe beginning scundiin “ish? Child + Segment sounds in 32-3phoneme word (Tall me the sounds in ‘hat * Chilo: dni How can [help my child develop phonemic awareness skits? Tohelp your cnidlisten to the eound in words + Read books and poems thattous on the mytim of language and imyme. Books such es “Hop on Pop’ or*Sheep'n a Jaen" help chilcren pay attenon to sounds n wards. + Give your chilé 8 noisemaker (such 2 e whistle). Tell your child tomake noise t ‘wo words that myme [ca cup, sit mit) + Play words games such as" Can you guass my wera + Have sound scaven gerhunt. Give your child a bag and ask immer to find asmmany things around the house mat beain with acerain sound: + Play”? spy" with beginning scunds of words ! spy something thet begins wih A Tohetp your ou say 198s My Word’. ‘Im thinleng of a word that mmymes vats chile segment (separete} and blend sounds in words, + Hove your child guess aword thatyou sound out slowly (sssssuuuuunnnn, + Give your child 2 5 blocks, beads, bingo chips oF similar tems. Say @ word andheve your hid move ar object For each sound in the word + Play Heed, Snculders, Knees and Toes wath scunds. Say aword and have your child Touch hisher head for me first sound, shoulders farthe secend scund, and vees tor the third while saying each sound + Jump for Sounds. Say a ord and have your child jurnp for each Sound in the word while Saying the sound, a en