Check Phonological Awareness Before Teaching Phonics

Read poetry and stories with rhyme or alliteration (same beginning sound).

Clap syllables in names or words.

Read Alphabet books. Most libraries have a good selection.

Ask your child to say the beginning or ending sound of a word.

Here are some games to help your child become aware of sounds in words.

Name Game - Change the beginning sound of every family member and pet. You do it, let your child join you, and eventually your child will do it alone.
Real Names: Eric, Todd, Michelle, Luke, Hailey, Willie
Playing with Names:
B Beric, Bodd, Bichelle, Buke, Bailey, Billie
H Heric, Hodd, Hichelle, Huke, Hailey, Hillie
S Seric, Sodd, Sichelle, Suke, Sailey, Sillie
M Meric, Modd, Michelle, Muke, Mailey, Millie
(Blends like str, spl, dr, tr are fun, but more difficult.)
I've created a video changing the vowel sounds in names. Changing the beginning sounds is easier. You should start phonological awareness activities with changing beginning sounds before moving into changing ending sounds or middle sounds in words.

Making rhymes - Change the beginning sounds of words. Say, "I can change big into pig with the "p" sound. I'll take away the "b" sound in big and it becomes ig. Then we can make p - ig, pig." Look for rhymes in books and encourage your child to make rhymes just for fun.

Guessing Game - Choose a category: Farm Animals, Food, Pets, etc.
Say "I'm thinking of a farm animal." Then separate the sounds. (c) - (ow) Leave some time between the sounds to make it more difficult.
Farm Animals- (h) - (or) - (se), (d) - (u) - (ck), (sh) - (ee) - (p), (ch) - (i) - (ck) - (e) - (n)
Food- (c) - (or) -(n), (p) - (i) - (ck) - (le), (h) - (a) -(m)
Pets- (d) - (o) - (g), (b) - (ir) - (d), (p) - (ar) - (o) - (t), (f)...(r) - (o) - (g)
If this is difficult, have your child stretch sounds with you. Say, "Let's make the sounds together." Stretch the sounds without leaving space between the sounds. hhhhh-orrrrr-sssssse, d-uuuuuuu-ck, ssshhhh-eeeeeeee-p, ch-iiiiiiii-ck-eeeee-nnnnn, c-orrrrrrrr-nnnnnnn, p-iiiiiiiii-ck-lllllllle, hhhhhhhhaaaaaaammmmmm, d-ooooooooo-g, b-irrrrrr-d, p-arrrrrrrr-ooooo-t, fffff-rrrrr-ooooo-g
Some sounds are fast sounds and will not be stretched. (t,d,b,k,g,p)
Let your child separate sound and make you guess too.
You are teaching a child to separate phonemes in words. The Reading Genie has a page to help you separate phonemes here.

Separating sounds - Ask for things or say some words in everyday conversations with a pause between each sound. For example: "Can you get a (t) - (ow) - (el)? Did you remember to put your (l) - (u) - (n) - (ch) in your backpack?"

Change beginning sounds - Be silly and make a different sound for the beginning sounds of some words while talking to your child. For example: "Let's take the pog for a walk. Can you hand me that fencil, so I can make a grocery list?

Would you like to check if your child can hear individual sounds or phonemes? The Reading Genie has a simple test you can give your child to check your child's awareness of sounds in words.

Your child should be able to blend sounds together. This is necessary for reading. For example, you make the sounds for a three or four letter word with a pause between each sound. Your child should be able to listen to the sounds and blend them together to make a word.

Your child should be able to separate sounds. This is necessary for spelling. For example, you say a word and your child is able to write or say each sound in the word.

Once your child is able to hear separate sounds in words, reading and writing activities will flourish with practice. If your child can't hear sounds, he or she will not be able to match letters to sounds (reading) or match sounds to letters (spelling). It makes sense to teach phonological awareness if needed.

A reader must be able to look at letters or groups of letters that make one sound and know what sounds the letters make. Then a reader must be able to blend these separate sounds together to produce words in order to read.

Beginning readers start with single letter sounds and short words when learning to read. Children must know consonsant letter sounds and long and short vowel sounds. There are many resources available to teach letter sounds.

A good speller must be able to separate sounds in words and know the correct letters or group of letters that produce each sound to spell words correctly. Phonological awareness is needed to separate the sounds of spoken speech. It is even more difficult to separate sounds produced in a thought. Encourage a child to slowly make the sounds out loud in a word while spelling a word.