Phonological awareness refers to an understanding of the sounds of language, specifically in reference to distinguishing subtle differences between sounds. Examples of phonological awareness tasks include detecting rhyme and alliteration, deleting sounds (e.g. “say “bat” without the “t”), and identifying sounds in words (e.g. “what’s the first sound you hear in bat?”). Phonological awareness skills develop sequentially during the preschool years and play a vital role in enabling your child to learn to read. In fact, children who struggle with phonological awareness are at risk for challenges with reading and spelling in school.
One of the first phonological awareness skills to develop is detecting and generating rhyming words, which usually emerges in children between the ages of 3 to 4 years. Using children’s books are a great way to expose your child to rhyming patterns. When reading with your child, discuss rhyming patterns by saying something like, “Hat and bat-they rhyme because they sound the same at the end.” Here are 10 top picks for books to encourage phonological awareness.
10 great books to read with your child to facilitate phonological awareness:
- Jesse Bear, What Will you Wear? By Nancy White Carlstrom
- Silly Sally By Audrey Wood
- Is Your Mamma a Llama? By Deborah Guarino
- Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do you Hear? By Bill Martin, Jr.
- Time for Bed By Mem Fox
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom By Bill Martin, Jr.
- Sheep in a Jeep By Nancy E. Shaw
- In The Tall, Tall Grass By Denise Fleming
- Miss Mary Mack By Mary Ann Hoberman and Nadine Bernard Westcott
- Good Night Moon By Margaret Wise Brown
For more great tips to increase phonological awareness, click here. To learn more about our Speech-Language Pathology program, click here.
