EnglishClub ESL Forums

With my experiences in Kindergarten, I tend to get asked the question, when should my child learn my phonics?

My short answer, as soon as possible. Hearing the sounds and observing how the mouth produces the sound should be introduced early.

What are your thoughts?

My further take: http://www.mrgregenglish.com/what-age-s ... g-phonics/

I think starting at 4/5 years old is the perfect time. You can start before that, but it truly is an uphill battle. I think it's better to start with simple concepts like colors and keep it fun from 2~4 and then do phonics from there. They can pick it up pretty quickly as long as you design the lessons to be fun and engaging.

Teaching phonics to children is most effective when started at an early age, typically between the ages of 4 and 6. This period is often when children are in preschool or kindergarten and are beginning to develop their language skills.

Here’s a general guideline on when to introduce phonics:

Pre-Kindergarten (Ages 4-5): This is the ideal time to begin introducing basic phonics. Children at this age can start learning the sounds of individual letters, especially consonants and short vowels. Simple, fun activities like singing the alphabet, playing with letter blocks, and reading aloud can help them associate sounds with letters.

Kindergarten (Ages 5-6): By this stage, children are ready to build on their phonics knowledge. They can start learning to blend sounds to form simple words, recognize letter patterns, and understand the difference between vowels and consonants. This is also a good time to introduce digraphs (like "sh," "ch," and "th") and other more complex sounds.

First Grade (Ages 6-7): In first grade, phonics instruction should become more structured and systematic. Children should practice reading simple sentences and stories, focusing on decoding words using their phonics skills. At this stage, they can also start learning about long vowels, silent letters, and other more advanced phonics concepts.

Second Grade and Beyond (Ages 7+): Phonics instruction continues to be important, but by this age, it should be integrated with reading comprehension and fluency practice. Children should be encouraged to read independently and apply their phonics knowledge to decode unfamiliar words.

Key Considerations:
Individual Readiness: Not all children develop at the same pace. Some may be ready for phonics earlier, while others may need more time. It's important to assess each child's readiness and adapt the instruction accordingly.
Engagement and Fun: Phonics lessons should be engaging and enjoyable. Using games, songs, and interactive activities can help keep children interested and motivated.
Consistency: Regular practice is crucial. Consistent exposure to phonics through reading and writing activities will reinforce learning and help children develop strong reading skills.
In summary, phonics instruction should begin in early childhood and progress systematically as children grow, ensuring they develop the foundational skills necessary for reading fluency.

Remember that phonics is geared towards reading and writing.

The age when phonics is used depends on the English proficiency level of your students.

If your students have not entered puberty yet and have phonemic awareness in the target language, and then, if they are cognitively ready to learn the alphabet, then teach them phonics.

If your students have still not entered puberty and fail to have phonemic awareness in English, then you need to first help them obtain phonemic awareness through your knowledge of English phonology and phonetics before ever attempting to teach them reading and writing. Otherwise, your students will just be substituting L1 sounds for L2 phonemes.

The exact instruction goes for adolescent foreign language learners. To make things worse, if their teacher has of yet to obtain phonemic awareness in English, their students, believing that they are learning "English" will blindly trust their teacher. If the teacher and student share the same native language, they will gladly understand each other while native speakers of English will not and vice-versa.

It is much easier to acquire phonemic awareness first and then learn how to read and write... especially English, given that there is not a one-to-one correlation between graphemes and phonemes. Digraphs and trigraphs only open the door to further confusion if you do not possess phonemic awareness in the target language.

Native-speaking full immersion schools have an advantage that when pupils come to class, in general, they already have phonemic awareness in the target language. That is why having native speakers of a language as teachers or having a non-native speaking teacher with professional training in English and education so important for foreign language learners abroad.


Sincerely,