Phonology is the awareness of the different speech sounds. The focus is on phonemes (units of sound).
Examples: rhyme, syllables, alliteration, onset-rime→‘bag’ b (onset), ag (rime)
How can I support my child at home within their phonological skills?
Websites:
Activities to develop and extend phonological skills at home:
- Hink Pink
Explain to children the definition of hink pink – a pair of rhyming words that answers a riddle. Read aloud the following riddles, and invite children to guess the hink-pink answer:
What do you call a chubby kitten? (fat cat)
What do you call a crying father? (sad dad)
What do you call a rabbit who tells jokes? (funny bunny)
Invite your child to think of other rhyming pairs.
See if you can use these words to make clues for new hink pinks.
- Mystery trip
Choose a specific sound pattern such as the beginning sound /b/. Explain that you are packing a suitcase for a special trip, and only the items that have the “secret sound” in their names will fit in the suitcase. Reveal objects and place them in the suitcase (all of which fit the secret sound pattern, such as bunny and ball). Invite your child to “pack” an object, when they think they know the sound. Make sure to have them say the name aloud. Tell your child whether or not their object fits (contains the secret sound). Ask your child to name the secret sound. Ask your child if they can think of any other objects that would “fit” in the suitcase. Play again using other secret sounds.
- I Spy
Have children identify “spied” objects by listening to your phoneme clues. Invite them to guess after each clue is given. For example,
I spy an object with three phonemes in its name.
I spy an object with three phonemes in its name and the first one is /b/.
I spy an object with three phonemes in its name and the first one is /b/ and the last is /k/.
I spy an object with three phonemes in its name and the first one is /b/, and the last is /k/, and it rhymes with look.
Repeat with different objects.
*To extend and challenge, phonemes and/or syllables can be used in this game, children can write clues down in a similar fashion to ‘wordle’ to help visualise.