5 Phonics Mistakes Parents Make (and How to Fix Them)

Teaching your child to read is an exciting adventure. Take a shortcut to learning to read by fixing these 5 Common Phonics Mistakes. 

Mistake #1 - Focusing on Letter Names Instead of Letter Sounds

Connecting the letter sounds to letter shapes is needed for reading and writing. Start with Phonemic Awareness which is hearing the individual sounds in words. Then connect those sounds to letter shapes and letter names. 

It’s okay to teach the sounds, shapes, and names all at once, as long as you emphasize that the sounds and shapes are what is needed for reading. 

1. Sing the alphabet song using the most common letter sounds rather than the names
2. Call attention to the similarities and differences in letter sounds, shapes, and names 

Mistake #2 - Mispronouncing Sounds (Phonemes)

Isolate the sounds so they are distinct and pure. Avoid turning consonant sounds into two sounds by adding an /uh/ sound. Say /b/ not /buhhh/. Avoiding the /uh/ makes it easier to blend the consonant into the vowel sound to read words: bat (not buuhhhh - a - tuhhhh).

1. Make a scissor snipping motion near your mouth as you practice the /b/ /d/ /g/ /k/ /p/ /t/ /h/ /j/ sounds 
2. Touch your teeth together when you say these sounds so they pop out of your mouth

Mistake #3 - Introducing Too Many Sounds at Once

Practicing 3 sounds at a time while using 5 minutes a day to play one of the games in the Alphabites Games Pack makes learning sounds easy and fun. Some sounds are learned quickly and others take more time, so go at a pace that fits your child’s learning. 

1. When a sound is learned, it becomes a review sound and a new sound is added to the practice sounds. 
2. Once a few sounds are learned, use the sound cards to make simple words for your child to read. 

Mistake #4 - Not Teaching Phonemic Awareness, Blending, and Segmenting

Phonemic Awareness is done orally, while blending and segmenting are used during reading and writing. Phonemic Awareness is about hearing individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. This is the first step needed for learning to read. 

Blending is how sounds are put together to read words. Segmenting is how sounds in words are torn apart to spell words. To blend and segment words, you need to know how letter sounds connect to letter shapes. These connections are called phoneme-grapheme correspondences.  

1. Emphasize certain words by using robot talk to draw them out into individual sounds: Put on your shhhhhh-oooooooooo-zzzzzz (shoes) or Remember to get your wwaaaatttterrrrr (water) bottle 
2. Segment words such as hat, by holding up fingers to count the sounds: /h/ /a/ /t/ and listening for beginning, middle, and ending sounds. Blend sounds into words by saying the individual sounds /s/ /a/ /t/, then making them flow together to make the word sat

Mistake #5 - Relying on Worksheets and Flashcards 

Worksheets quickly become boring and frustrating. Active, playful learning through games and physical activity has been shown to help children learn faster and remember what they have learned.

Help your child learn words quickly and efficiently by teaching them the connection between letters and sounds (alphabetic code). Emphasize sounds and letters by:

1. Playing games, saying hilarious tongue twisters, and using the child friendly word lists included in Alphabites Game Pack 
2. Reading together, using decodable books, doing arts and crafts, and engaging in imaginary play

Learning letters and sounds should be an exciting adventure. Using multisensory (sight, sound, touch, movement), creative activities will help your child stay engaged. 

Practicing with real, meaningful words in spoken and written language creates a purpose for phonics instruction and connects it to actual reading and writing. Decodable books will help your child begin reading quickly and see themselves as a reader. 

Anyone can teach their child to read, and you can too! To get more help, check out our Teach Your Child to Read with Juneberry Learning course. Coming soon! Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when it’s ready.