Phonics refers to the correlation between the sounds of a language and the spelling of that language. According to Glendale Community College, this includes such parts as: every English syllable must contain a vowel sound and most of the times that "c" is followed by an "e, i, or y," it is pronounced as an "s," as in "cyst." Teaching these phonic parts to children enables them to understand the language we use to function as a society.
You can help children understand phonetics using a game that matches sounds with words. For this game, based on "The Quiet Machine" on the PBS Kids website, you write the letters of a sound on a board, such as "th" to represent the beginning sound in the word "things." Then say three different words, and ask the preschoolers to match the sound with the word that starts with that sound. Continue to do this game with different sounds, such as the "w" from "water," the "d" from "duck" and the "f" from "frog."
Create a rhyming game to teach children about phonemes (the most basic sounds present in language). To do this, collect pairs of objects from around the house, such as limes and a picture of a mime, a tie and a toy fly, or a toy cat and a wooden bat. Have the children play with the rhymes, first by saying the name of the one object, then the other. Then encourage your child to find other objects around the house that rhyme with the sound they are making. For example, if you show the child a coat, let the child look for a rhyming object, such as a toy boat.
In order to understand English phonics, preschoolers must understand the relationships between the vowel sounds. One way to do this is to sing the "Apples and Bananas" song that many teachers and parents know. The basic lyrics say: "I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas." Repeat this twice, using the normal pronunciations. After two repetitions, replace all of the vowel sounds in the lyrics with a long "a" sound, such as in the word "ate." Repeat twice then move to the "e" sound in "thee." Continue through the "i" in "ice," the "o" in "oat" and the "u" in "you" or "boo."