Preschoolers are a wonderful age… so busy, so carefree, and so smart! But teaching a preschooler takes an extra dose of energy and patience! Yet, I love those early days of pre-reading activities. I have two children in that phase right now, and their curiosity is amazing! They love to stumble through trying to sound out their little words. Phonics skills are so important for this very reason. Teaching a child letter sounds, and blends, gives the learner a solid foundation for “sounding out” larger and more complex words.
It is amazing how a child with a great phonetic foundation can assimilate the rules and phonetic guidelines that they have learned into more complex issues. Compound words are easily sounded out when the child has thoroughly learned all letter sounds and can capably blend these with both vowels and other consonants.
These little ones don’t have much of an attention span. This is where many educators and parents lose the child. Being patient and only requiring a preschoolers attention for small chunks of time is the best way to get the most from them. Young children are capable of so much, it really is quite amazing. Yet, the key is to take it in little chunks and allow the child to learn in short phonics lessons. You’ll get the most out of your day with a preschooler if you keep lesson to short 15-20 minute sessions. Keep it short… and keep it fun!