Phonological awareness is a listening and oral language skill that does not involve print. It is the ability to hear and produce the individual sounds heard within words. The early stages of phonological awareness emerge when babies and toddlers mimic sounds heard to say their first words. It is an essential skill because it sets the foundation for phonics - the ability to match sounds to their correct letter or letter patterns to read words.

1. Phonological Awareness
Foundation of Phonics
Fun with Sounds
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2. Phonological Awareness for Reading
Phonological awareness is a listening and oral language skill that does
not involve print. It is the ability to hear and produce the individual
sounds heard within words. The early stages of phonological
awareness emerge when babies and toddlers mimic sounds heard to
say their first words. It is an essential skill because it sets the foundation
for phonics - the ability to match sounds to their
correct letter or letter patterns to read words. The skill
increases in difficulty with the addition of letter patterns. For example: the
words – cat, cake, team, and sheep all have three sounds. Fortunately,
Fortunately, there are many fun activities that you can do with your child
to teach phonological awareness!

3. Children Imitate What They Hear. Reciting nursery rhymes
and playing rhyming games with your child are everyday
activities that promote phonological awareness.
Reciting nursery rhymes
Children will learn that changing the beginning sound of a word will change the word.
For example: in the rhyme, Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water;
the beginning sound change of /J/ to /h/ changes the word Jill to hill.
This builds the realization that the order of sounds said in a word is important.
Rhyming games
Have fun and provide your child with additional practice hearing sounds in words.
Ask your child to say a word that rhymes with hill? If your child gives you an
incorrect answer, provide him/her with some possible answers by asking what word
rhymes with hill; mill or cat?

4. Sound Boxes
 Sound boxes is a fun activity to provide practice dividing words into
sounds. It is important for your child to identify the sounds heard in words
so that they can later match the sounds heard with the letter and letter
patterns that represent them in print, phonics, to read words.
 It is important for your child to identify individual sounds heard in each
word, not individual letters that make up each word. It is important to note
this difference because many words consist of letter patterns (two letters)
that make one sound. Words consisting of letter patterns will have less
sounds than number of letters. Letter patterns include: silent e, vowel pairs
(ea, ee, ai), and consonant digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh).
 For example the word sheep has five letters and three sounds
/sh/, /ee/, /p/.

5. Use Sound Boxes to Have Your Child Practice Hearing
Individual Sounds.
Create a set of boxes. Each box represents a sound in the word,
not a letter. Say a word to your child. Have your child push up a
counter (or magnet) into a box for each sound heard. For
example, the word at has two sounds /a/ and /t/, and the word
cat has three sounds /c/, /a/, and /t/.
/c/ /a/ /t//a/ /t/

6. Sound Boxes
1 2
As you say each word,
have your child push up a
counter or magnet for
each sound heard/said.
Draw three boxes. Words
with 1,2, or 3 sounds can be
used.

7. Words for Sound Boxes
 Words with two sounds include: an, at, no, he, me, go, in, it, to, of, tea,
pea, The words tea and pea have the vowel pattern /ea/.
 Words with three sounds include: bat, sat, can, box, sit, cat, net, big,
bug, sat, dog, cake, make, meet, seat, rain, team, sheep, chip, white
 When your child is ready, add another box to include words with four
sounds such as: train, clock, skate
/t/ /r/ /ai/ /n/

8. 321
he
It
at
go
as
we
so
by
me
us
In
tea
sea
Push Up Push Up
Should
remain
empty

9. 321
cat
dog
big
red
Ten
bed
rain
tape
five
feet
Push Up Push Up
Push Up

10. Sorting Pictures According to Beginning Sounds
Have your child sort picture cards and/or objects
according to their beginning sounds.
Review picture cards before sorting
Step
1
Step
2
As children develop phonological awareness, it is important for them to practice
differentiating the sounds heard in words. This builds the realization that sounds
must be said in the correct order to produce the desired word. This sets the
foundation for phonics. Begin by having your child sort picture cards or objects
according to their beginning sounds. In later activities, have your child sort picture
cards and items according to their ending sounds.
Use pails or other
containers to sort
picture cards and
items

11. Select picture cards that begin with the 3 initial consonant sounds
that are very different such as: /b/, /s/, & /t/. Review the cards
before you have your child sort them: boat, bear, smile, spoons,
sunflower, sign, train, tree
/b/
/s/ /t/

12. Activity Videos
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To View Our
Activity Videos
Phonological Awareness- Hearing Individual Sounds in Words
PRE K & Kindergarten Phonological Awareness – Identifying Beginning
Sounds
PRE K & Kindergarten Phonological Awareness – Identifying Initial
Consonants