Talking to your children increases their vocabulary. Videos, television, DVDs and books can also encourage increased imagination, vocabulary, concentration and reinforce all learning curves.
How to help with phonics

This programme called ‘Letters and Sounds’ is a progressive approach to phonic learning and hence reading skills. The first phase of Letters and Sounds , in line with the government decision to introduce the Early Years Foundation Stage in September 2008, uses animals sounds, and songs to establish early phonic learning. Letters and Sounds is one of many high quality phonics teaching programmes which meet the core criteria in the system of teaching phonics and establishing reading as the programme progress through the six stages.

I think that this is very useful to parents, both as incidental teaching at home and in understanding the procedures used in phonics and reading in schools. I hope that you will find it helpful with all your children.

There are a number of different forms of Phonics. One very successful method is by using Jolly Phonics. Jolly Phonics uses the synthetic phonics method of teaching. A ‘synthetic phonic method’ is defined here as one that emphasises both the teaching of letter-sounds in isolation (not in whole words) and synthesis skills (how to blend letter-sounds together to read a word).

Phonics In English children are usually taught to read by using phonics. Phonics provides a way to teach the letter sounds. As a child learns the sounds of each letter of the alphabet they can use this knowledge to read words, write words and hence spell. There are various methods of teaching phonics but they all have the same basis:

• a – makes the sound a (as in apple)
• b – makes the sound b (as in baby)
• c – makes the sound c (as in cat)

Children need to learn reading and writing in three stages:

• Stage 1 – learning the letter sounds
• Stage 2 – learning letter formation (how to write each letter)
• Stage 3 – learning about blending (e.g. combining a and i as ai as it sounds in aim)
• Stage 4 – Identifying sounds in words
• Stage 5 – spelling tricky words (English is a complex language, often illogical)

These skills are usually taught separately but depending on the ability and progress of the child the stages may overlap.Phonics is one area of teaching where parents can reinforce the work done in school. If in doubt always speak to the teacher to find out:

1. What method of phonic teaching they are using
2. How you can help
3. If there is any additional material to use at home to reiterate the work done in school