The way that phonics is taught is a topic that many people feel strongly about. For a long time, many educators believed that immersing children in language and text rich environments would teach them to read. Scientific research has shown time and time again that this is not true for a large proportion of children. The current understanding is reflected in the new NSW English K-2 Syllabus where phonic knowledge is described as a key focus area.
So, what does this mean to you as a parent?
If you have had older children learn to read you may notice some differences in the resources and strategies schools use now. The top tip for you as a parent - help your child have fun with letters and sounds!
- Teach your child the names of letters and the sounds they represent
- Play games like I spy, Junior Scrabble or Boggle
- Have magnetic letters available for play
- Encourage your child to notice letters in the world around them, talking about their names and sounds
- Draw attention to the sounds in words, pull words apart and put them back together again
- Read and write together
