Phonics Alphabet
Learning the phonics alphabet is critical for children’s literacy. When they know the alphabet letters and phonics, they get better at reading, speaking, and comprehending. In a nutshell, the phonics alphabet plays a crucial part in a child’s learning achievement.
What is Phonics?
Phonics is a teaching method that connects sounds (also known as phonemes) and the symbols that represent them (letter groups or graphemes). Phonics is the learning-to-read method used in the majority of schools today.
Simply put, phonics is about knowing the relationship between letters and sounds. These two factors are also what links between what we can read and write and what we say. It offers beginner readers the techniques they need to sound out words. For example, preschoolers learn that D has the “d” sound as in “dog.” After that, they learn to blend letter sounds to make other words like “doll,” “dot,” and “dig.”
Why Is Phonics Important?
Comprehension is about understanding what you read. And for kids to do that without stumbling over words, they must know how to read each word. Phonics aids them in that process.
Teaching Phonics to Toddlers and Preschoolers
Most schools teach reading through phonics—and for several research-based reasons! In a study, it has been found that phonics “has a dramatic impact on the accuracy of reading aloud and comprehension.” In the same study, the MRI scans revealed that the brain of those who had not used phonics to learn how to read worked harder to decipher what they were reading. That explains why phonics has been widely used in many schools today.
Before toddlers and preschoolers start learning letter names and sounds, they begin developing their listening skills, making them familiar with the different word sounds.
Usually, teachers introduce the letters of the alphabet in a set order when they reach first grade. Children by this stage learn one sound for each letter. At this point, they can sound out simple words like ‘b-a-t, bat’ or ‘h-u-t, hut.’ Next, they learn that some letters make different sounds when you put them together, such as ‘ai,’ ‘ee,’ and ‘sh.’
Once they learn to sound out and read words using the most common letter-sound combinations, they can progress to learning alternative combinations. We recommend you help your kids practice reading with a gradual increment in words’ complexity to enhance this skill.
Eventually, they will be excellent at reading pretty much any common word in English! They can then continue to practice reading and spelling less familiar and more challenging words using phonics.
Of course, while they’re at the learning stage, they must enjoy reading and learning phonics. That’s where Zoolinge comes in!
Zoolingo for Learning Phonics Alphabet
Zoolingo is a free-to-download educational app developed by Mafooly. The app involves hundreds of fun games and activities that teach children alphabets, phonics, numbers, math, shapes, measurement, spelling, vocabulary, and so much more. If you’re looking for a light, educational mobile app for your toddler or preschooler, then you’re in the right place.
One of our prominent games is the Alphabet game, where kids can learn the letters of the alphabet and phonics. Our phonic songs are played repeatedly, so children can familiarize themselves with the alphabet and their corresponding sounds. We added fun animation and bright graphics to keep them enticed and entertained while learning.
We have three alphabet games:
- Letter Tracing
- Recognition
- Letter Sequence
Letter Tracing
Our letter tracing game guides children to write letters by hand. Before each round, we play the phonic songs, so they are tuned into different letter sounds.
“A is for apple, a-a-apple, a-a-apple. A, apple.”
“B is for baby, b-b-baby, b-b-baby. B, baby.”
“C is for candy, c-c-candy, c-c-candy. C, candy.”
After playing the phonic songs, we teach kids to trace the letter, with arrows to guide them. We have uppercase and lowercase letters they can trace. You may also assist your child in their letter tracing—it’s an excellent parent-kid bonding experience, too!
Recognition
Our letter recognition game will put your child’s phonics language to the test. On the screen, you will see a bunch of different letters. We will ask your child to select the letter being said.
Through this game, your kid will not only recognize the form of the letters but their sound, too! We found this game to be effective in helping children link letters and their sounds.
Letter Sequence
Our third alphabet game is the letter sequence, where we school kids about the set order of the alphabet. What comes before letter E?
This game will improve your child’s ABC knowledge, problem-solving skills, and cognitive abilities. It invigorates your child’s logical thinking as they try to remember the proper sequence of letters.
Throughout these games, we will repeatedly sing the phonic songs of each alphabet, so your kids can instill them in their minds even when they’re not speaking yet.
This will prepare preschoolers for reading, and the tracing game will help them build their penmanship.
Zoolingo is a fun, educational, and highly interactive mobile app designed for kids aged 2 to 7. Anyone who likes to learn about the alphabet, numbers, basic mathematics, geometry, and vocabulary is invited to play this innovative game.
It’s an excellent app that kids can use in their spare time. And because this is a mobile app, you can bring it anywhere you want. Your kids can still learn the alphabet during car rides or playtime. Many parents love Zoolingo because it gives them hours of peace—they found their kids highly focused on the game, allowing them to do household chores without interruption and tantrums.
How You Can Reinforce Phonics Alphabet Learning At Home
Here are some tips on how you can further reinforce phonics to your child, so they become excellent readers and speakers:
Connect with your child’s teacher
If your child is already attending school—online or in a traditional classroom—we suggest asking the teacher how you can highlight phonics and reading when at home. Don’t be afraid to share any concerns you have.
Encourage your child to build reading skills.
Invest in books and short stories that your child can read daily. If he or she stumbles on a word, motivate them to sound it out. If they still cannot get it, provide the word and teach them how it must be pronounced, so they don’t get discouraged.
Stimulate your child’s comprehension
When your child is reading a book, ask questions such as “What did that mean?” or “What do you think will happen next?” Asking them how they feel about the story is also a great way to express what they think.
Don’t throw old books!
It’s okay if your child wants to revisit their favorite books. In fact, it’s beneficial for them.
Encourage your child to read aloud.
Buy books that your child really likes. And when they’re reading, ask them to read aloud. Quick pauses between pages are good, so you can ask them questions and see if they understand what they’re reading. Also, encourage them to use different voices for each character in the story.
Influence your child to love reading
Parents have a significant impact on a child’s behavior. That’s why it’s important to show your child how much you love and value reading. Buy plenty of books and magazines and place them around the house.
More Tips on How You Can Help Your Child with Phonics Alphabet
The aim of phonics is to get your kid reading as quickly as possible, so they can read whatever they like at an early age. But remember, it is meant to be fun—not demanding and definitely not stressful. The last thing you’d want to happen is to make your child feel learning phonics is a chore.
Here are some tips on how you can make learning the phonics alphabet easy and fun:
- Keep your sessions short, simple, and focused. Stop your session before your child gets bored. A 10-minute session is already long enough.
- Make it fun and engaging. Use toys or any items in your surroundings when teaching phonics.
- Pick a time when your kid is not too tired. Also, it helps if you find a quiet place where they can focus on your phonics session and not get distracted by their surroundings.
- Keep on reading to your child even when they become a good independent reader. Read high-quality, educational, and non-fiction books.
Download Zoolingo for Learning Phonics
Zoolingo is designed to teach children phonics and alphabet letters through fun games and activities. Our Alphabet games have gained popularity because of their high-quality graphics, animation, and overall gameplay. Zoolingo is a mobile app that helps your child build digital literacy skills while learning ABCs.
Young learning minds will truly benefit from the app. Aside from Alphabet games, we also have:
- Numbers game: teaches kids to count 1 to 20.
- Mathlingo: learn basic math skills, such as addition and subtraction.
- Measurement: identify which animal is larger or smaller than the other.
- Colors: learn different colors through fun games.
