How To Teach Your Toddler To Read: Phonics And Pronunciation
TOP KIDZ READING SERIES
A common concern international parents have is whether their child can pronounce English words properly. If your child is studying in Australia, he or she will be taught proper pronunciation at kindy and school. Exposure to the Australian teaching system and the local way of life will eventually produce kids who speak like a native.
Learning how to pronounce English properly is not difficult. If you would like to teach your toddler to speak the language, you will need to have some understanding of the mechanics of pronunciation. Pronunciation is an essential aspect of a student’s ability to use a language. All other aspects of a language (grammar, vocabulary, and study) are redundant if the student cannot pronounce the words clearly for others to understand him or her.
PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS AND PHONICS
To help you navigate learning resources online, you will need to know some basic terminology in teaching languages.
Phonological awareness
Phonological awareness is a broad term used to describe an awareness that the words that we speak can be taken apart. Phonological awareness in the child is developed through listening, not reading. The child learns that the words they speak can be taken apart.
For example, in our preschool class, we ask the kids to clap to the words:
‘I–LOVE–MY-DOG!’
When the children can do that, we ask them to break it down into syllables:
One clap for one syllable: ‘I’
One clap for one syllable: ‘LOVE’
One clap for one syllable: ‘MY’
One clap for one syllable: ‘DOG’
Next, the children are taught to break the syllables into even smaller bits called phonemes. A phoneme is a speech sound. English has 44 phonemes.
Before the children are introduced to the alphabet, we teach them to take apart the words by listening. For example, the word ‘dog’
The children learn to isolate each sound in a word before the teacher shifts the medial sound (the sound in the middle) to join the sounds into a single word that they can pronounce.
Phonics
Phonics is used to teach your child to read. In the English language, there are only 26 letters (or alphabets) but 44 sounds. That means you have to use letter combinations to spell certain sounds. For example, ‘ch’ or ‘th’. Phonics teaches your child to recognise sounds made by individual letters and groups of letters. When they can decode these sounds, they will be able to spell and therefore, read out the word.
Pronunciation
Pronunciation refers to how words are said and how it is understood by others. This is an issue encountered by some international students who are not native speakers of English. They have studied the word at school so they can spell it and use it in a grammatically correct sentence, but they cannot pronounce it.
To teach pronunciation, the teacher would usually show the students how to shape their mouths to form the correct sound. For example, if they are learning how to say the sound ‘z’, they are taught to smile, bring their teeth together and position their tongue behind their teeth to make the sound ‘z’. For a child who does not have this sound in his or her vocabulary (for example a Spanish-speaking child), the teacher might ask them to touch their throat and feel the vibration when they make the sound. The teacher uses a variety of fun lessons to get the children to practise making the sound until it becomes natural to them.
HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD
Ideally, your toddler or pre-schooler should attend an English class so they can be taught by a trained teacher to speak and read English.
But that does not mean, parents cannot support and encourage their children in the learning process. All you need is enthusiasm, commitment, and patience.
Here are some helpful tips:
- Keep the classes short and simple. A toddler or preschooler has an attention span of about 10 minutes so make sure you stop before they become bored.
- Make it fun
- If you are designing your teaching materials, make sure these are bright and colourful
- Start a reward system. Kids love stickers
- Pick a time when your child is not too tired or hungry
- Find opportunities outside a classroom environment to introduce letters and sounds to your child.
Nursery
- Plan activities that promote listening skills for example songs and nursery rhymes, bedtime stories, storytelling, and so forth
- Use their bodies and instruments to create sounds
- Play spot the rhyme games with their favourite nursery rhymes
- Use their interests to structure your classes. If they like animals, try an animal sounds game
- Clap and tap to the rhythm
- Introduce sounds when you are outdoors. For example, the sound of a car, birds, and insects
- Introduce new sounds in the home. For example, the sound of the dishwasher, washing machine, the fridge or just allowing them to bang on pots and pans in the kitchen
Preschool
- Sing alphabet songs
- Sing nursery rhymes and songs
- Teach your child to clap to the syllables of words
- Play word games and word sound games
- Introduce new words when you are outdoors
- Read signs
- Read bedtime stories
- Create floating alphabets and hang in your child’s room
- Watch an educational show together
Helping your child pronounce words
- Speak clearly to your child so they can hear what you are saying
- If your child mispronounces a word, correct them gently. Don’t scold or chastise them
- Have them point to words and say them out aloud
- Help them sound out the letters in a word
- Help them break up larger words into phonemes
- Encourage them to look for words they recognise when you are reading to them
- Play word board games (like Scrabble, Upwords, and Letris) with older kids
The more opportunities your child has interacting with a book, the quicker they will develop print awareness.
A good place to start is to help your child become comfortable with handling books. Teaching the organisation of a book includes explaining the title, the author, the cover, the back cover, the top and bottom of the book, and how letters and words are arranged.
The next time you read a bedtime story, let your toddler hold the book with you. Introduce the story by pointing and reading out the title and the author’s name. You can even play a game with them by asking them to bring the book to you or asking them to point to the title and the author.
Explain the layout to your child in simple words: “This is the start of the book…”, “We are going to start reading from the top…”. “This is the title.” “The author’s name is…” Be sure to point to what you are saying.
Show your child how to turn the pages as you read. You can get them to turn the pages for you. If they cannot turn a page at a time, help them. When you come to the end of the book, explain to them that the story has ended and close the book.
Find opportunities to introduce how books work to your child. When you are at a restaurant, let your child hold the menu. Show them how to turn the pages from start to end. In the library, encourage your child to choose what he or she wants to read. Read and point out titles, author’s name, cover and so forth to them.
With practice, your child will soon master how to handle a book.
The more opportunities your child has interacting with a book, the quicker they will develop print awareness.
A good place to start is to help your child become comfortable with handling books. Teaching the organisation of a book includes explaining the title, the author, the cover, the back cover, the top and bottom of the book, and how letters and words are arranged.
The next time you read a bedtime story, let your toddler hold the book with you. Introduce the story by pointing and reading out the title and the author’s name. You can even play a game with them by asking them to bring the book to you or asking them to point to the title and the author.
Explain the layout to your child in simple words: “This is the start of the book…”, “We are going to start reading from the top…”. “This is the title.” “The author’s name is…” Be sure to point to what you are saying.
Show your child how to turn the pages as you read. You can get them to turn the pages for you. If they cannot turn a page at a time, help them. When you come to the end of the book, explain to them that the story has ended and close the book.
Find opportunities to introduce how books work to your child. When you are at a restaurant, let your child hold the menu. Show them how to turn the pages from start to end. In the library, encourage your child to choose what he or she wants to read. Read and point out titles, author’s name, cover and so forth to them.
With practice, your child will soon master how to handle a book.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Here are some useful resources to help you.
Jolly Phonics the method used by most schools. Their website has a plethora of resources you can use to plan your lessons
Bob the train turns phonic sounds into songs that your pre-schooler will love!
ABC Phonics is one of dozen new apps that you can use to teach phonics.
Download on Google Play or Apple Store
Victoria’s Department of Education has a great website with a wealth of information and resources including a video on how to pronounce the 44 phonemes – the Aussie way!
The more opportunities you create to introduce letters and sounds to your child, the faster they can attain phonological awareness. A child who can pronounce his or her words clearly and can recognise the sounds associated with letters and groups of letters is well on the way to achieving literacy skills. Give your child the Head Start they deserve so they can achieve their full potential. Enquire about our classes here.
The more opportunities you create to introduce letters and sounds to your child, the faster they can attain phonological awareness. A child who can pronounce his or her words clearly and can recognise the sounds associated with letters and groups of letters is well on the way to achieving literacy skills. Give your child the Head Start they deserve so they can achieve their full potential. Enquire about our classes here.