Teaching Children to Read and Write
Learn to read
Learn to write
Learn to do anything

Phonics helps children to read and spell by learning the association between sounds (phonemes) and written alphabet letters (graphemes). They learn to turn the written word into sounds for reading (decoding) and to turn the sounds they hear into letters for spelling (encoding). Research suggests that our phonological awareness begins in the womb. New born babies have a preference for their mother’s voice, as they have had an extended period of time hearing the voice before they are born, and so find it comforting. They do not understand the words, just the sound rhythm and intonation of her speech pattern; more like music. The pre-phonics stages below are listed in a developmental order from stages one to ten.