Phonemic Awareness: Skills That Are Teachable

There are so many different ways to be smart.

But to do well in school, children need to learn to be smart listeners.

Children who have Phonemic Awareness skills--smart listening skills--do well in reading.

Children who lack these skills, struggle or fail. _____________________
Some smart-listening skills kids can learn by playing the games:

Auditory Attention
Rhyming
Auditory Discrimination

Counting Syllables

Sound Blending

Word to Word Match

Isolating Sounds From Words

Counting Sounds in Words

Separating the Sounds

Deleting a Sound

Substituting a Sound

These are skills that help children to learn to read easily and to read well. _____________________
“I am a trainer for a non-profit organization that trains teachers primarily in districts with a high number of at-risk students. We’re holding our first conference where I will be presenting a workshop on Phonemic Awareness activities and games. I really like the way you’ve written your block tracking instructions. I’m emailing to ask for permission to copy and distribute your block tracking instructions as part of my workshop. Thank you for your time and efforts.” -- K.B. _____________________

A Sound Floor for :
Phonemic Awareness Games to Play, Free!

Phonemic Awareness Predicts Reading Success
After more than 30 years of research sponsored around the country by the National Institutes of Health, we know that there is a set of listening skills, Phonemic Awareness, that predicts who will be successful in learning to read.

Children who have these skills do well in reading.
Children who lack these skills, struggle or fail.
It’s as simple as that.

The researchers found that all children benefit from practice in these important skills

Parents: You can help by playing ‘sound games’ with your child!

Playful Sounds: Materials and games for the earliest beginners,
struggling or at-risk learners

FREE Games below!

The easiest games are at the top of each list, below.
Begin with games that are easy for your child.

Advance gradually down the lists.
Depend upon successful play to build skill--you don’t have to push.

You don’t need to finish all the variations of one game
before beginning another
--as long as your child is succeeding with the games you are playing.

Keep it fun!

Games to Go: for beginners or better

Play them at spare moments: In the car, waiting in line, fixing dinner. (If you play in the car, choose your game at home--and keep your eyes on the road.)

Phonemic Awareness at its most basic, begin with Playful Sounds.

Block Challenges: more advanced
Learners use colored blocks to represent speech sounds. One inch cubes are perfect.

You will need four or five colors with three or four blocks of each color.

Play these games at the table or on the floor.

Games To Go
Pre-Phonemic Awareness Games:

1) Silly Mistakes

2) Make a Rhyme

Phonemic Awareness Games:

3) Clap Syllable ‘Beats’

4) Blend Sounds Together

5) Match First Sounds

6) Blend Words & Tap Them Apart Again *

7) Easy-Blend List for games 4, 6

Block Challenges
Advanced Phonemic Awareness Games:

1) Basic Training for Blocks

2) What’s New: First or Last

3) What changed: First or Last

4) LIST 1 for What Changed

5) LIST 2 for What Changed

6) LIST 3 for What Changed

7) List 4 for What Changed

8( LIST 5 for What Changed: Vowels (Short i, Short e)

9) What Changed: One- to Three-Sound Patterns

*Once students can ‘Blend & Tap’ the easiest words, they are ready to begin a Phonics program.

First Free Pre-Phonemic Awareness Game:
1, Silly Mistakes

Short Cut Through the Treehouse ~ The Whole Treehouse

More on this topic: It All Begins With Sound
Next topic: Phonics Walls