By this point, your child has been talking for quite some time, communicating with you about wants, needs, and interests. He is now reaching a point where he is capable of phonemic and phonological awareness. Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to hear phonemes, the individual sounds in spoken words. Phonemes may consist of single letters or blends (e.g. “fl” in “flat”). Phonological awareness has to do with understanding the units of spoken language, such as words, syllables, and rhymes. This means that your child can now do things like tell you what the first or last sound in a word is. He can also figure out how many syllables are in a word and find a rhyme to a word you give him. Practice these skills with him throughout the day by asking him to identify the sounds words start with, the number of syllables a word has, or rhyming words.

(Playful Bee is launching our new DIY Preschool from Birth program! Click here to enroll.)

Play Tips:

How can you support your child’s development of this Phonological Awareness skill at this age? It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Clap out syllables. Practice locating syllables by saying words and clapping for each syllable. Start with familiar words, like the names of close family members. If your child gets into the game, ask him to suggest words, or try using the longest words you can think of.
2. Find the initial sound. Gather a bunch of picture cards, or use a picture book with lots of different pictures in it. As you pick a card, show your child how you sound out the letters, emphasizing the first sound. After a couple demonstrations, ask your child to give it a try. For an added challenge, pick cards whose pictures start with one of two different letters. Then ask your child to sort them by their beginning sound.
3. Read some rhymes. Reading books that rhyme are good for building your child’s awareness of sounds and rhymes. As you read, ask him to point out rhymes that he’s heard or perhaps to think of other words that rhyme with that word.

(Playful Bee is launching our new DIY Preschool from Birth program! Click here to enroll.)

Developmental Milestone:

Has your baby achieved the following Phonological Awareness developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Has more phonological awareness, can isolate sounds in words.

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Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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