Children begin to learn to phonics as early as kindergarten. In kindergarten, teachers generally introduce children to the sounds that consonant letters make but do not teach vowels. Children usually begin to learn vowel sounds in first and second grade as well as sounds from specific letter combinations. First and second-graders learn how to read and write short words with these letter combinations to introduce them to basic word identification.
Phonics aims to teach children the relationships between written and spoken language so that they may better comprehend the language in reading, writing and spelling. Many children do not require phonics instruction beyond the second grade, but it tends to be useful for those with reading difficulties by improving their word identification skills. Phonics is normally taught along with other literacy strategies, such as teaching word families. Word families are groups of words with similar letter combinations used to help children identify words with similar sounds.
When children are exposed to an organized and systematic phonics instruction at a young age (kindergarten and first grade), they tend to learn how to recognize words and read more effectively. As children learn that certain letter combinations make specific sounds in language, they are able to recognize rhyming words and create rhymes themselves. Phonics aids in their ability to create and understand sentences as groups of words, thus improving their understanding of reading and writing.
Children are generally taught phonics through a series of activities that focus on specific literacy skills. Beginning phonics instruction usually starts with identifying rhyming words and recognizing the letter combination or sound that is repeated in each word. They learn to separate sounds in word with auditory activities, such as clapping, or visual activities, such as using tiles. Teachers may take a different approach to phonics instruction with children with reading difficulties or learning disabilities. For example, teachers may stretch out and heavily emphasize sounds in words and focus on sounds that are easy to hear and identify.