Reading by 9: Practice phonological sensitivity to build a foundation for early literacy

Introducing phonological sensitivity at home is easy. Most children’s books already have what you need to get started, but books that rhyme with shorter words will allow you to do all of the following:

Identify and use rhymes

Ask your child to find words that rhyme.

Modification: Give your child the sound to locate (i.e., tap my hand when you hear words with “-og” in dog, frog, log).

Count syllables

Count how many syllables are in a word by clapping.

Modification: Start with songs. Clap along to the beat of simple songs until your child can clap along independently before introducing syllables in words.

Blend sounds

Say sounds in a word slowly (ex. /b/, /ă/, /t/ and then having them blend it together to form the word) — see our last guide for examples.

Identify and use alliteration

Introduce alliterative phrases like “she sells seashells by the seashore” or create ones of your own.

Modification: Provide the sound for your child and let them identify words that start with that sound before combining them.