There are 10 stages of phonological awareness. Stages 1 to 7 are what we class as the pre-phonics skill stages (https://www.teachphonics.co.uk/phonological-development.html) and stages 8 to 10 (https://www.teachphonics.co.uk/phonological-development-phonics.html) we would class as the phonics stages. Phonological awareness skills relate to our sensitivity and understanding of the sound structures of our spoken (oral) language. It enables us to progress from our awareness of large sound units (words in sentences) to smaller sound units (phonemes in words). It also incorporates the ways in whic ..read more

Developing #Listening & #Speaking Skills – Syllable Awareness & Counting (Word Play) At about the age of 4 years old children start to develop an understanding that words can be split into sound parts (syllables) and that these parts give the word its rhythm.  A syllable is the largest phonological unit (one or a group of sounds) of a word and is like the rhythmic beat of the word. They should be able to orally blend syllables together to form words and segment words into syllables (https://www.teachphonics.co.uk/phonological-awareness-stage-4.html). A fun activity to help develo ..read more

Developing #Listening & #Speaking Skills – Rhyme & Alliteration (Word Play) Young children develop their vocabulary and understanding of sound patterns within words through word play. Rhyme awareness and the enjoyment of alliteration begins early, usually between the ages of 2 and 3 years old (Stage 3 of phonological awareness: https://www.teachphonics.co.uk/phonological-awareness-stage-3.html ). This develops in to an important tool, supporting a child in developing an understanding of how words are formed and the sound patterns within them. These are important pre-phonics skills a c ..read more

Developing #Listening & #Speaking Skills – Games to Encourage Talking and Language Knowledge A few weeks ago, we explained the importance of developing your child’s word awareness skills here are some further games ideas to encourage them to use this new language. Playing tapes or CDs of nursery rhymes and children’s song are good for helping your child to make the distinction between the music and words (language used) in them. It is a good idea to practise this skill when there are no other noise distractions. When your child points at something tell them the name of the object, for ..read more

The Easter Holidays are here, so here are some fun activities to keep children of all ages entertained whether we have rain or sunshine. A treasure hunt is a great way to teach children directional language. Being able to understand directional and placement (prepositions) vocabulary is important for understanding everyday instructions such as ‘put your cup on the table’; ‘go along the hall and stop at the door in front of you’. We also use this directional language to explain how to draw patterns and write letters, which is another reason why it is important for young children to be introduc ..read more

Developing #Listening & #Speaking Skills – Developing Word Awareness A good word awareness (receptive and expressive language) is a key phonics skill. Helping a child build their vocabulary (word awareness – receptive & expressive language) is vital if they are to continue to develop good communication skills. Talking, explaining, sharing and playing are all important as well as making sure that you pronounce words clearly and correctly for a child to hear. A child may not have developed all the skills needed to copy you accurately but they will store the sound pattern information for ..read more

Developing #Listening & #Speaking Skills – How to encourage your child to keep talking! Learning to the conventions of conversation start from birth, as parents we do not really think about it in this way but it is what we tend to do naturally. Sometime though we all need a few pointers to help us, so here are some ideas to help you develop and encourage your child to talking skills: From Birth to 1 Years Old To encourage cooing and babbling. Get yourselves comfortable in a face-to-face interaction position, babies often like lying on their back or on your lap looking up at you. Start by ..read more

Developing #Listening & Speaking Skills – Different Types of Talk There are different types of talk: Business Talk – this is when we use more everyday instructional and informational kinds of vocabulary and sentence structures. Play Talk/Rich Talk – this is more conversational, informal and descriptive. Small Talk – this is everyday chatter or conversations, informal and often less descriptive and more factual. Parentese – this research has shown is how babies prefer you to talk to them using regular words (normal adult vocabulary) in a slightly higher pitched and more sing-song way. It ..read more

Developing #Listening & Speaking Skills – Turn Taking Skills – Conversation This week we will look at turn taking in conversation a skill children need to learn to take part in meaningful interaction with others. These interactions are a vital part of children’s physical, emotional, social and intellectual growth and wellbeing. Children need to learn that in conversation they need to take turns listening and speaking. This is more complex process than we often give it credit for as often we, especially in our busy lives, can be guilty of only listening to reply rather than listening to un ..read more

Developing #Listening & Speaking Skills – Games to Develop Phonemic Awareness Phonemic awareness is our ability to split words into their smallest sound units (individual phonemes) and to manipulate these sounds through segmentation, blending, substitution and deletion. This is based on what we hear and say, not the written word. These games are great for playing in the car or when waiting in queues and hopefully soon when out and about with other friends and family. We usually introduce this concept to children using one syllable CVC words, a word that has a Consonant followed by a Vowel ..read more