Preschool Phonics and Learning to Read

A common stumbling block for children learning to read is difficulty understanding phonics, that is, letters and their corresponding sounds. One of the best ways to overcome this problem and prepare young children for reading is to engage them in pre-literacy activities, such as preschool phonics instruction.

Good phonics instruction helps kids learn, understand and make use of letters and their corresponding sounds in their reading and writing. Preschool phonics activities can start at home. Singing, playing, reading and talking with your child are all ways to help them build great pre-literacy skills. When speaking with your child, ask them to name the letter that certain conversational words begin with.

A wide range of preschool phonics games can be found online. Researchers have found that online phonics games can be successful in teaching children to read provided they form part of a larger systematic program of instruction that teaches five key literacy areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension.

Reading Eggs offers a systematic suite of instructional lessons that comprehensively cover all five key literacy areas. Reading Eggs lessons target phonics instruction by introducing individual letters and their corresponding sound to the child with highly interactive activities. These activities, which feature colourful visuals and animations, provide step by step instruction that reinforce letter-sound relationships. The ultimate goal is for beginner readers to understand the alphabetic principle – that every letter and letter combination has its own particular sound. With fun activities that are as enjoyable as they are educational, Reading Eggs provides preschool phonics instruction that keeps children motivated to learn more.

Testimonials

I believe that Reading Eggs is an exciting, on-line reading program that engages students fully and ensures that they have fun while they are learning to read. It is simple to use, caters to all students and makes learning to read FUN. Well Done!

- Ann Forbes, Glenmore State School

I am amazed and how much my 3-year-old is learning with Reading Eggs! He can identify all of his letters and knows their sounds. At the rate he’s learning, he’ll be reading by Kindergarten. He LOVES to “play” it and views it as fun, not work. He had never used a computer before trying Reading Eggs, but it’s presented in a way that is intuitive for him, as he can work his way through it on his own. He was even using the mouse like a pro after the first day!”

- R. Martz