Did you know that the foundation for learning to read is understanding speech sounds? While letters and words are seen with our eyes, when learning to read the brain facilitates a process that correlates with spoken language.
This is why it’s so important for children to sound things out when they’re learning to read. In fact, from what science has repeatedly found, it’s difficult for kids to read unless they master this skill.
This skill is called decoding. It’s so important that it even forms the foundation for fluent reading later on so that your child can approach unfamiliar words with curiosity and confidence.
If you want to help your child sound out new words and become a strong reader, this article is for you. We’ll go over decoding, practice strategies, and more cool science behind learning to read.
How Kids Learn to Sound Out Words
Children learn to sound out words through the process of decoding, which is when a reader translates printed words into speech by matching letters in words to their corresponding sounds. Early readers have to identify and blend letter sounds in order to pronounce whole words they are not yet familiar with.
Before kids can sound out words, they have to know at least some sounds that alphabetical letters represent. This is phonics 101: children must learn the relationships between letters and sounds in the English language.
Let’s look at the decoding process so you can understand how to help your child learn to read.
Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. Babies and toddlers begin to learn this. This is not to be confused with phonics, which is the instruction that focuses on the relationship between written letters and spoken sounds—such as ‘A for apple’ and ‘D for dog.’ Unlike phonics, phonemic awareness activities can be done with your eyes closed!
Both of these skills are essential for developing strong decoding abilities in early readers. If you help your child recognize and play with the sounds in spoken language when they’re young, they have a better chance of developing stronger phonemic awareness, which is linked to reading success.
Help your early reader enhance their phonemic awareness by:
- Playing rhyming games
- Clapping out syllables in words
- Identifying beginning, middle, and ending sounds in words
You can learn more about phonemic awareness and supportive literacy development activities at Reading.com.
Introducing Letter-Sound Relationships
Teach your child the sounds that individual letters and letter combinations make. Make it a daily practice and engage in playful activities. Pay extra attention to practicing short vowel sounds, as they can be tricky for kids to remember and are important for learning to read. Repetition is important so that your child can master each letter sound effectively and then be able to recognize letters in real life.
Read Together
Read to your child if they’re a pre-reader. If they are already beginning to read, you can use decodable books to encourage confidence while providing the right level of challenge.
Strategies for Helping Early Readers Sound Out Words
When your child knows some basic letter-sound relationships and can identify letters, you can begin helping them decode words in print. Here are a few tips to implement this practice at home.
Practice Sounding Out Right Away
Kids can begin sounding out words as soon as they know a few letter-sound correspondences. For example, if a child knows the letter sounds for s, a, t, p, i, n, they can read words like ‘tap,’ ‘pit,’ and ‘nap.’ You don’t need to wait until a child knows all of the letter sound connections before learning to sound out words.
Start With Simple Words
Begin with short, phonetically regular words (like “cat,” “dog,” “dad,” or “sit”). These words follow basic sound-spelling patterns (consonant-vowel-consonant) and are easier for early readers to decode.
Practice Blending Sounds
Teach your child to blend individual sounds together smoothly. For example, /c/ /a/ /t/ becomes “cat.”
Encourage “Stretching Out” Words
Some speech sounds can be held; they are continuous or stretchy. Practice reading words with sounds that can be stretched. For example, ‘mom’ and ‘sun’ have sounds that can be held without pausing in between. For example, ‘ssssssssssuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnn’ can have all sounds held and then sped up to read the word ‘sun.’
Model Good Reading Habits
When reading aloud to your child, be sure to model proper fluency. Use different tones and expressions to model reading comprehension. Let your child see you reading regularly—this helps them associate positive attitudes toward literacy in the home. It also demonstrates the importance and enjoyment of reading.
Provide Consistent Practice Opportunities
Set aside time each day for reading practice. Consistency is vital to the development of strong decoding skills as your child practices sounding out words on their own. These practice sessions do not have to be lengthy! Practicing for short periods of time, consistently, will allow for the most progress in your child’s reading progress.
Celebrate Progress and Milestones
Recognize your child’s efforts and improvements when they’re learning to read, no matter how small. This builds confidence and motivation.
Make Reading Playful
Learning to decode should be enjoyable! Make it playful and fun using engaging activities such as:
- Word games like “I Spy” that focus on beginning sounds
- Scavenger hunts for words with specific letter patterns (/oo/ or /sh/)
- Using apps and digital games that focus on phonics and decoding
- Take turns sounding out words in a book (you decode a word and then your child decodes the next word, and then together you repeat the string of words to form the sentence)
Most importantly, remember to have fun. If reading practice becomes a chore, children lose interest quickly and can become discouraged.
Advanced Decoding Strategies for Early Readers
As your child progresses in their literacy journey, you can begin to introduce more complex decoding strategies. This can involve moving from single sounds (like /b/ /a/ /t/) to vowel teams (such as /oa/) and even multisyllabic words.
Once your reader gets more advanced, you can teach them to recognize common prefixes, suffixes, and root words. This helps them tackle longer, multisyllabic words as they approach more complex decoding. Help them syllabicate – break longer words into syllables to make it easier. Breaking things down makes decoding more manageable and less overwhelming.
What to Do If Your Child Struggles With Decoding
While every child develops at their own pace, some signs could indicate your child needs extra reading support. Obvious signs can be:
- Persistent difficulty in recognizing letter-sound relationships despite continual practice and proper instruction
- Struggles with blending sounds together
- Avoidance or frustration with reading tasks
If you notice these signs, consider reaching out to your child’s teacher or a reading specialist for guidance. There could be an underlying issue or learning disorder getting in the way of their ability to read.
Sounding Out Words With the Reading.com App
Sounding out words effectively and consistently is a crucial part of your child’s reading journey. By understanding the process of decoding, implementing effective practice strategies, and providing consistent support and practice, you can help your early reader build a strong foundation for reading success.
Ready to take your child’s reading skills to the next level? Check out the Reading.com app for an engaging, science-backed approach to helping your child learn to read! Our interactive app is designed to make reading fun and accessible for early readers as they learn their letters and sound out their first words. Start your child’s reading adventure today with a free trial of Reading.com!