It's as easy as ABC…

kindergarten

Jun 3

It's as easy as ABC…

At Big City Readers, we are committed to providing the best possible learning experience for your little ones. Today, we'd like to emphasize the crucial importance of learning the ABCs the right way. It's not just about reciting the alphabet; it's about laying a solid foundation for a lifetime of learning and literacy.

Learning the ABCs the right way means instilling the following principles:

Phonemic Awareness: Phonemic awareness is a crucial component of early literacy development and is often considered one of the building blocks of reading and writing. It refers to the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual phonemes in spoken language. It includes:

Phonemes: Phonemes are the individual sounds in words. For example, the word "cat" has three phonemes: /k/ - /æ/ - /t/. Children need to recognize and manipulate these individual sounds to understand how words are formed. Check out this activity to build phoneme skills.

Oral Skills: Phonemic awareness is an auditory skill; it doesn't involve written letters. It's about listening to and manipulating the sounds of spoken language. For example, children might practice activities like identifying the first sound in a word or blending sounds together to make a word. Check out this activity to build oral phonemic awareness skills.

Segmentation: This involves breaking words into individual phonemes. For instance, a child might be asked to break the word "dog" into its constituent sounds: /d/ - /o/ - /g/. Check out this activity to build segmenting skills.

Blending: Blending is the opposite of segmentation. Children are asked to take individual sounds and put them together to form a word. For example, given the sounds /k/ - /æ/ - /t/, they should be able to blend them into the word "cat." Check out this activity to build blending skills. Check out this activity to build blending skills.

Manipulation: Phonemic awareness also involves manipulating phonemes, such as changing the first sound in a word or replacing a sound with another to create a new word. This is a more advanced skill that comes with further development. Check out this activity to build manipulation skills.

Letter Formation: Proper letter formation is vital for developing fine motor skills and preparing children for handwriting. And, it doesn't begin with writing the ABCs! Check out this activity to learn where to start with writing! Make sure to save my writing stages chart too.

Letter Recognition: Children need to quickly recognize both uppercase and lowercase letters to read and write effectively. The best place to start?! Their name! Check out this name activity!

For more tips and insights to nurture lifelong learners, hop over to my Instagram page.

And, don't forget to explore episodes on the podcast, Play On Words, where you’ll hear more about making learning fun and accessible for all.

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I’m the founder of BCR, host of the Play on Words podcast, a consultant for the Chicago Public Library, and more! On the blog, I regularly share my tips, insights, and knowledge on early literacy.