Phonics curriculum usually starts with teaching letters, slowly creating a working knowledge of the alphabet. Children learn the sounds of each letter by associating it with the word that starts with that sound. Phonics skills grow through reading activities, and students learn to distinguish between vowels and consonants and understand letter combinations such as blends and digraphs.

Phonics class builds on previously learned skills:

Understanding the alphabet

Knowing that words are made up of sounds which can be changed to create new words: h + at = hat, c + at = cat

Distinguishing between similar sounds: “three,” “free” and “tree”

By the end of this ongoing program, students should know the letters and their corresponding sounds.

Be careful not to push your kindergartner too hard. While most children follow the same sequence of acquiring literacy skills, they do so at their own pace. The phonics curriculum recognizes that all children are different, and try to cater it to your child’s learning style.

Phonics success comes by progressing through these skills carefully with frequent reinforcement and review.