What is phonics for kids? Phonics is a method of teaching reading and writing skills through sound. It is a system with specific learning objectives. Phonics for kids has levels, so children learn phonics from the simplest concepts to the most complex.
What else should you know about phonics for kids? It:
- Helps children learn to read on their own
- Helps children become better readers, writers and spellers
- Teaches children how to pronounce words they do not know
- Prepares children for overall school success
Reading and writing are not natural skills. While speaking and talking are natural skills, reading and writing must be learned. Because our brains are not wired to read or write, it is a process we all must learn through training and practice. It would be unfair to expect children to be able to read or write without being taught. So, how do we teach our children to read? What is the best way to teach children reading skills? After decades of arguments, science has proven that phonics works best to teach children fundamental reading skills.
Some people think phonics for kids does not work. They believe phonics is boring, repetitive and ineffective. This is all false. Phonics does work. When taught correctly, phonics is fun for kids and teaches them lifelong skills needed to become successful learners.
What Are The Key Parts of Phonics for Kids?
For early learners, there are four distinct parts to phonics. Over time, our children learn these skills and how to apply them when reading books and writing sentences. As always, phonics for kids starts with the easiest and most basic information.
- Phonemes (phonics sounds)
Phonics begins with sound. We call these phonics sounds phonemes – the individual sounds that make up words. For example, in the word cat, we have three separate phonemes: /k/, /a/ and /t/.
Children start by learning these sounds. The goal is to develop phonemic awareness, which is the ability to recognize these phonics sounds in words.
- Graphemes (letters)
Graphemes are the symbols that represent phonics sounds in text. This can be smaller or larger groups of letters. Phonics for kids starts small and helps children match phonics sounds to their graphemes. So, when they see a grapheme on paper, they know which phonics sounds to make to read.
The next step in phonics for kids is learning to decode. Decoding is more practice linking phonics sounds to the letters on the page. They slowly learn how to pronounce the letters on the page by linking those letters to their phonics sound. This is the very first attempt at reading.
One of the last steps in phonics for kids is blending and segmenting. Blending and segmenting is a tool children learn to tackle words they do not know how to pronounce. When they come across an unfamiliar word, they first segment —or pull apart—the word into smaller groups of letters. Then, they pronounce the phonics sounds of those letters. Finally, they blend the sounds back together in an attempt to pronounce the word. Blending and segmenting is important because it builds fluency.
As you can see, phonics is a straightforward and logical way to learn how to read. It has specific learning goals. It teaches children how to read step by step, and our kids learn skills that they will use later in life.
Professor Pup Gives a Stellar Introduction to Phonics for Kids
At Professor Pup’s Academy, we believe phonics for kids is the best way to learn how to read. Our programs are designed with core phonics practices so that any child who uses them learns fundamental skills necessary to become proficient readers.
How do we teach phonics for kids? First, we make it fun. Professor Pup and his friendly cast of friends join your child through every single exercise. They provide directions, encouragement and help whenever your child needs it. They sing songs, play instruments and dance, too.
Second, we make phonics for kids easy to follow. Each lesson is organized and separated into distinct parts. Professor Pup explains each activity before it begins and there are big visible buttons to use to navigate the program. We designed phonics for kids so that children can use the program with little supervision, encouraging independence and curiosity.
Third, we practice together. Because reading is not a natural skill, it takes practice. Phonics for kids requires lots of fun and different activities that help children practice their new skills in unique ways. That is why we developed phonics for kids that help them practice what they’ve learned so that they remember it the next time.
Finally, we celebrate learning. After all that hard work, we celebrate with a fun animated dance party, so that children are eager to move onto the next lesson and meet Professor Pup again. This helps build a positive and energetic environment so that phonics for kids never has to be boring, dull or difficult.
Download Professor Pup To Teach Phonics for Kids
Why use Professor Pup to teach phonics for kids? We keep it fun and engaging. Plus, to ensure that no child ever feels discouraged or left out, we provide constant support and encouragement. Every child who uses Professor Pup learns how to read and gains the skills necessary to become good learners.
Phonics for kids doesn’t have to be hard for you either. As parents, you’re busy enough. Our programs are simple so that children can use them on their own and make their way through the lessons with little to no supervision.
For pre-K children who have no background in phonics, we suggest Professor Pup’s Phoneme Farm. It is the very first step in our program for phonics for kids. Children experience 49 different lessons, learning and practicing different phonics sounds. Download Professor Pup’s Phoneme Farm for $2.99
For children who understand basic phonemes (the sounds that make up words), we suggest starting with Pup’s Quest for Phonics. Here, children have 40 different lessons that teach how to further develop phonemic awareness, practice writing letters and read complete sentences. Download Pup’s Quest for Phonics for $2.99
Our programs are conveniently available for both iPad and Android. While they work best on tablet, your child can easily use them on smartphones, too. It’s such an easy way to teach phonics for kids and one that really works! Download now at the App Store or the Google Play Store.