English for Kids: It All Starts with Phonics

Written by: Yeimi Villegas @ Mini Bilinguals

Phonics is a huge topic in early years and primary education because it has a huge impact on children's literacy and language development, not only in pre-school and primary school, but also as they move on to secondary school. Strong literacy skills are often predictors of higher educational achievement and can also lead to greater self-confidence from an early age.

Phonics is definitely the best way to teach children to read and also an amazing way for young children to learn English as a second language. There are so many different schemes out there like Jolly Phonics and Read, Write Inc (RWI) that allow parents and teachers to find the best method to teach their children to read and write. For second language speakers, learning phonics is essential, as it will help them from the very early stages to decode words, whilst learning new vocabulary.

Once the children understand how phonics works, when they start to realize they can read, everything changes for them in such a positive way. However, it is important to understand that phonics is a process that takes time. Whether you are a teacher or a parent, you need to make sure that you give enough time for the children to learn each sound and learn the new vocabulary. If phonics teaching is rushed, there is a very big risk of damaging the learning process for the child, leading to negative results in the long term.

So the big question is: What is my role in the phonics learning process?

I have had many parents and teachers asking me this question. It is difficult to understand how much or how little you can/should do and also the importance of collaboration between home and school. Both parts play a crucial role in the phonics learning process and one without the other, the majority of the time, doesn't work. Many parents feel scared or anxious about helping their children with phonics practice because they don't speak the target language and this is understandable, but it should not be used as an excuse. If you feel you cannot help your child with phonics, ask your child's teacher to send you the words as an audio file so your child can hear them and practice as much as possible at home. You can also ensure they watch children cartoons and movies, and play educational games in their target language - specially anything related to phonics. Just remember, that as little as 10 minutes a day will help your child a lot.

The role of the teacher

As a teacher you need to pay attention to the children's abilities. You need to make sure that you differentiate and guide the children's learning through games and interactive activities. It doesn't matter what scheme you follow (if any) what matters is how you deliver the content and how engaging you make the lessons. You should normally teach no more than 4 sounds a week, but only you know your children so if they are fast learners and can do more, then do so. On the other hand, if you notice they are not remembering a particular sound, make sure you review it often, don't just ignore the fact that they are still not confident with that sound. Also it is important that you keep regular communication with the children's family to ensure they know and understand the child's level and how they can help from home.

The role of the parents/family

Being a parent of a bilingual child is difficult, especially if you don't speak the target language at home. But no matter how hard it may be, you need to commit to supporting your child throughout the process of becoming bilingual. If you think this is hard for you, it is 100% worse for your child, so never give up no matter how tuff it gets. You need to ensure you have regular communication with your child's teacher and follow their instructions and suggestions as closely as you possibly can. As a parent you don't always know what works best for your children when they are learning, often it is difficult to understand why they are not progressing faster, and it is also very common to compare children. This is why communication with the teacher is so important. They can tell you where you child needs most support, the best methods and strategies to use at home and what they need from you as a parent, to help them progress through the phonics levels more effectively, whilst learning the target language at the same time. When both the parents and the teachers are in sync with the child's learning, it all becomes easier and smoother for everyone involved.

So, remember that phonics is key for children learning a second language because it helps them to read, write, speak and listen all at the same time. From the beginning of the process, children start learning a lot of vocabulary in the target language but then as they move up the different phonics levels, the vocabulary gets more complex which allows their speaking and writing to also progress to the next level. Phonics is also key for improving pronunciation in the target language, because they learn to enunciate correctly the sounds of the letters in the alphabet before blending.

If you have any questions about phonics, how you can help your child through this process or anything relating to this topic, leave us a comment below or you can send us an email to minibilingues@gmail.com

Remember to share this blog with other parents who want to help their children start their bilingual journey.