Why Your Kindergartener Needs Phonics Instruction (And How to Support It at Home)
Phonics instruction in kindergarten produces measurable reading gains that persist through later grades. A practical guide for parents who want to support school-based phonics work at home with simple daily routines.
Last Tuesday my daughter started Kindergarten and sounded out her first word by using phonics rules she learned from school the last 3 weeks or so for the word “cat”. She actually even spelled C-A-T out!
My daughter went to Kindergarten last Tuesday and sounded out the word “cat” for the first time. She actually spelled C-A-T out using phonics rules that her teacher had been teaching her for the last 3 weeks or so.
Children who have received a systematic phonics program by the end of kindergarten and the end of 1st grade will be better readers in the elementary school years. This article explores why even very experienced teachers might not think that every child needs to learn to read using phonics and how to support your child’s learning of letter-sound relationships in kindergarten or preschool.
Yes, phonics is necessary for every child and how to support phonics at home if you are not a reading teacher.
nnThe Problem: Sight Words Alone Create a Reading Ceiling
Some research on reading defines high frequency words as those words that appear with high frequency in early reading. This includes words such as The, said, was, are, etc. Many kindergarten classrooms have a word wall where these high frequency words are displayed for students to refer to when reading. Because these words are read with such frequency, they are often recognized by sight.
nnNothing wrong with that.
As with my neighbor’s son above, it seems that high frequency words can easily become a child’s reading program. With a great amount of time put into memorizing 50-100 “high frequency words” such as “the”, “said”, “was”, “are” a kindergarten student can be reading simple stories by the middle of the school year. But what happens in first grade when a child cannot read the words “friendship” or “butterfly”? Chances are that the child has not a clue as to how to use phonics to read the words found between the high frequency/sight words that they do know.
But most seriously, the research completed by Stanfords’ two reading researchers revealed some things about children learning to read with a whole high frequency/sight words reading program that caused them grave concern. Even when children have learned to recite from memory a large number of high frequency words within a few months or years of reading instruction, it does not mean that they have learned to read when given a reading text that is comprised of words they have not been taught to read. These children typically fail to read when reading on their own even years after other children have become able to read independently within the first grade, because these children have not been taught how to use sounds to read words. The study found that every child studied using a whole high frequency word reading program required support from teachers and assistants in reading even though each child was able to read and recite from memory from 40 to 69 of the “high frequency words” studied in the program.
If those rules apply to your child’s word, then she can use the rules to sound out the word to read it. So for example, CVC words (like C-A-T or c-a-t for those of you using a computer) are three letters long. The first letter is a consonant (c in this case), the second letter is a vowel (a in this case), and the last letter is a consonant (t in this case). So your child would read the word c-a-t by sounding out each letter individually and then blending those sounds together to form one word. The sound for the letter “c” is /k and the sound for the letter “a” is ah and the sound for the letter “t” is t. So your child would read the word c-a-t as pet.
Without phonics then reading can become a game for children of trying to work out the correct words, whereas once they have learned to read using phonics then they can read any words by applying the same rules.
nnWhat Effective Phonics Instruction Actually Looks Like
d. Not all Phonics Programs are Created Equal. Although there are some excellent programs that teach phonics to students who need it, there are many more programs that concentrate on other reading skills to the detriment of students who are needing to learn phonics to become adequate readers. Worksheet after worksheet of letter-tracing is not phonics.
Teaching single consonants is another skill that kindergarten students learn in school. As with the letter names, both the uppercase and lowercase letters are taught. I have found that the best way to teach the individual letter sounds is to use both books and workbooks. For the single consonants, I have found the second method for teaching single consonants is better than the first method for teaching single consonants (see above). Typically, phonemic awareness is introduced in kindergarten, and then students learn to combine individual sounds to read words. Students also learn to break down words into individual sounds in order to write the words. Students then learn to read CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant) and then progress to reading CCVC words (consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant), and then the students learn to read CVCC words (consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant). Students typically learn basic digraphs such as sh, ch, th, and wh in kindergarten.
In the typical kindergarten classroom, teachers go more in depth and provide more intense reading instruction to those students who need it in a phonics-based reading program. Teachers typically choose a comprehensive program that instructs students in the following:
CVC words such as friend, bend, penny and then move on to words with three consonants followed by a vowel such as blink, crack, black. Study of basic digraphs, such as sh, ch, th, wh and practice of using these digraphs in words, such as brush, chip, this, and swim. A systematic and explicit scope and sequence to phonics is crucial. Therefore, the kindergarten teacher would spend 15–20 minutes of direct phonics reading instruction on a daily basis and use a variety of practice opportunities such as using whiteboards, practicing in small groups, reading in structured situations such as using decodable books, and word sorting and other activities that allow children to practice using sounds in different ways, such as sound manipulation. Such a program would be Orton-Gillingham, Wilson Fundations, or Saxon Phonics.
NNNothing to read here — unlike counting or other skills, phonics can NOT be taught and then forgotten! These rules MUST be applied to unknown words for the child to READ those words! For example, although a child may have learned to READ the CVC words “friend”, “bend”, and “penny”, they can then use the same rules to SOUND OUT unfamiliar words like “sunshine” – thus REALLY READING the word! On the other hand, children can memorize many SIGHT WORDS, but NOT know how to READ any other words that don’t look exactly like the word that they were memorized! These children have only learned to read many words!
nnHome Support Strategies That Actually Work
nnnDon’t Try to Recreate School at Home. Just FUN!!! Although the major reading instruction should take place in school, when school is doing a great job with phonics, your job is to reinforce and supplement even more, in a fun manner. When school is NOT doing great with phonics, then that is your main job. But please make it systematic and FUN!!!
For morning practice I typically use letter magnets and make a three letter word and read it to her then have her find the letters that make up that word created on the fridge by me. It has not taken her long to learn how to read and spell the simple CVC words. I try to spend around 5 to 10 minutes each morning going through the few words we are studying.
The reading of books together is the most powerful home support strategy. How you read books with your kindergartener is critical, however. When your child encounters a word that they do not know how to read, do not immediately tell them the word. Instead, point to the first letter of the child indicated, and say the sound of that letter. Continue in this manner for each subsequent letter indicated by the child. Together, sound out the word indicated by the letters.
Most books are written from left to right and from top to bottom. Therefore, it is necessary for your child to be able to decode words from left to right, sounding out each letter or letter combination as he goes. The process of sounding out words from left to right, starting with the first letter and moving to the end of the word, is called sounding out words. Encouraging your child to sound out the words as he reads will be very beneficial for him in the long run.
nThe “the difference between children who become strong, confident, proficient readers and those who struggle with reading . . . . is whether or not adults are continually encouraging children to sound out words rather than to guess”—words from a very wise literacy expert, Dr. Louisa Moats, author of Reading to Older Students Who Struggle. Other phonics-related strategies would include using alphabet magnets or letter tiles, sound, picture sort, and word sorts. Children can learn to be strong readers if given the right encouragement from trained literacy staff and from loving parents who practice with their child using some of these strategies. We, as reading staff, can take our children to our school libraries and encourage them to pick out a decodable book and then read that book at home to a loving parents, and then we can talk together about all of the words in the book that our child read using all of the phonics strategies learned at school. We can celebrate with every word, and soon our child will be a very confident, reading machine!
The number of words your child can read after learning the -at family is enormous. Since each word in the -at family can have many different first letters, or beginning sounds, added to the -at part of the word, the number of words that your child can read after studying the -at family for example, would be enormous. Decodable books that are written for a specific phonics skill level, such as the early books in the Bob Books series for example, are comprised of words that a child at the phonics skill level for which the book was written can read using the phonics skills that the child has learned. In contrast, to ‘predictable books’ such as the reproducible books found in certain reading programs where the majority of the books are comprised of words and sentences that are written using repetitive patterns so that children can learn to read them, decodable books do not aid children in learning to read by decoding new words. Children can often read predictable books after they have learned to sound out words, however, reading predictable books does not aid children in building up phonics skills. Practice segmenting as you drive around. Ask your child to sound out words and then have them write down the individual sounds of the word. Also, try various multi-sensory learning activities that involve writing with various media such as writing in sand, using shaving cream, or writing with sidewalk chalk to make letter and word study more fun for your child and to increase the chances that what your child learns about letters and words will stick over time as compared to traditional pencil and paper learning activities.
nnSchool vs. Home: When Each Approach Works Best
The question for many parents is whether to supplement school work with more phonics practice at home or not. If the school is teaching phonics well, then more practice at home is always a good thing and can be done in a short amount of time. However, if the school is not teaching phonics well then it is good to do phonics at home in a very systematic way.
<target_excerpt> nnnSchool vs. Home: When Each Approach Works Best </target_excerpt>
When your child is in kindergarten and 1st grade he should be studying phonics as part of his regular classroom lessons at school. Then at home the child can practice certain skills and you can supplement his reading with additional books and decodable stories. If he enjoys reading then that is even better! However, in many homes the school instruction is weak or it is focused on teaching your child to read many sight words and in these cases it would be very good to incorporate a structured reading program into your daily home support activities. These programs are very easy to use because no teaching credentials are required. You simply follow the step by step lessons for your child. A good program to use for kindergarten and 1st grade is The Logic of English Foundations or All About Reading.
The parent of the young reader wants to give additional practice at home to the young reader but is not sure if it would add value to the young reader’s reading skills given that the young reader is already receiving phonics in school. Home support for a kindergarten or 1st grade student should be to supplement and reinforce school practice and to give additional practice in reading for fun using extra books that are decodable for the young reader. For many parents, the school is not giving sufficient phonics practice to the young reader. So, in addition to reinforcing school practice, the parent would want to give additional phonics practice at home using a systematic and complete program such as The Logic of English Foundations or All About Reading. This should be in addition to other school work and should not be in excess of 30 minutes a day and should be fun for the young reader. The parent of the child who is not receiving sufficient phonics practice at school would do well to remember that the purpose of the additional phonics practice at home is to supplement and reinforce what the young reader is learning in school, not to replace the school instruction. Also, be careful not to over practice with the young reader as the young reader can become tired of the additional practice and may even become to practice reading to cease. So, make sure that you and the young reader are having as much fun as possible while practicing phonics at home. There are apps that offer phonics matching games that are a lot of fun for the young reader to play with, such as Starfall and there are also many games on PBS Kids games that are also a lot of fun for the young reader to play with while practicing phonics. Also, magnetic letters are fun to use for phonics scavenger hunts around the house for the young reader.
nnWhat to Do Right Now
Step 1: First find out from your child’s teacher what phonics skill your child is learning in the school setting. Ask teacher for scope and sequence (school year or week) for phonics instruction at school and ways in which you can give your child additional support at home. Work with child using the teacher’s scope and sequence for phonics and see immediate results as you are using the same skills that child is learning in the school setting for reading and writing.
nnPick a daily routine and practice phonics in that activity. At breakfast time I practice phonics with my child as we have a daily routine of having breakfast together every morning at the same time for a length of time. Using magnetic letters or letter tiles are a good multi-sensory aid and the child can build words using all of their senses (sight, touch, hear, manipulating). Reading the words that the child has made is a great way to use their newly found skills, especially if you are targeting a particular skill and the child is finding it a bit difficult. Just remember 5 minutes a day!
nA Decodable Book Set is a great thing to purchase for your child to read. He or she will be able to read these books as long as they are at the child’s reading level for phonics. For a kindergarten student it is best to start with the early books in a Bob Books Set. There are many other books by many other authors that are also decodable for children with similar phonics skills. It is a good idea to read one book to your child each night as their book to read to you for their quiet time. The child will be so proud of himself or herself when they are able to read a word that they have sounded out from that book.
Another idea to use while practicing phonics is to have your child search for print while you are out and about doing your daily routine. The child can read the labels on products in the grocery store. While driving in the car the child can read the street signs. While you are having dinner at a restaurant the child can read the menu. Children love to see that phonics are used in real reading.
nChildren grow and learn at different rates. So do their reading skills. Some children will learn to read faster than others. Most children will learn to read and to read very fluently by the end of second grade if they have learned good phonics and have practiced reading a lot.
nJust wait. The child with a good phonics-based reading program will eventually learn to read. And, after he or she has learned to read, he or she will become a confident reader. The child will learn to read unfamiliar words. The child will be a better writer because of a better understanding of sound-letter relationships. The child will be a better reader of written material for meaning (i.e., higher scores on reading comprehension).
nStart reading with your child today! In just 5 minutes a day, you can give your child the best chance at reading success for the next 12 years. Don’t let the latest technology take over your child’s education. The core skill of decoding is the foundation for reading success whether printed on paper or displayed on a screen. Help your child start reading today!
nnStart with small goals and work consistently to these ends and your child will amaze you within a year by reading chapter books.
nnSources and References
nnNational Reading Panel. ( 2000). Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
nnMoats, L. C. (2020). Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers (3rd ed.). Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
nwww.edpolicy.stanford.edu/publication/science-reading-research-reading-instruction
nStanovich, K. E. (1986). Matthew Effects in Reading: Some Consequences of Individual Differences in the Acquisition of Literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 21(4), 360-407.
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