How to teach Phonics at home? This question has been raised by many parents of toddlers that I know.
Before you decide on the which phonics activity to start with do look at the Phonic Skills chart to assess the stage of readiness your child is at.
There are many ways- online and offline where you can assist your child in learning phonics.
Online
Starfall.com– is the best website I know that teaches children the phonetic pronouncation of the letters of the alphabets, there is also focus on consonant blending. There are also short stories for reading there.
Reading n Phonics- There is a shooting game where you shoot down the correct alphabet which is being ‘targeted’
Scholastic has a rhyming & matching word game which you can try with your child when they are able to identify the basic sounds of words.
Offline
Gigglepotz.com has printable/downloadable phonic cards. There are also PDF phonetic storybooks which you can print out and read with your child.
Here are some products which I have listed in my A*store which you can consider.
Being a parent of young toddlers I am constantly on the look out for interactive games for my boys.With the rise of multimedia, there are many online resources which can help enhance a child’s learning experience.
What constitutes of a fun and educational interactive children’s website? There are many kids’ websites having violent games and little educational value. To me for a child to benefit from surfing the website while independently or assisted surfing he should be able to
Learn a new song or activity I.e.: Unfolding matching cards.
Listen to story and read along.
Learn how to co-ordinate and move the mouse to click on the desired part of the screen.
Follow the instructions given in the program and play along.
Here are some websites which I have shared and explored with my elder boy Ryan.
They are rated on interactivity, ease in navigations and choice of activities available in each site.
There are interactive games, songs and colouring pages from Clifford, Barney, Arthur and Dragon Tales to name a few. All these characters are wildly popular with toddlers as their cartoon shows are shown on the television in the afternoons. Recommended Age: 2 yrs +
This website is where my son learned phonetically how to read his alphabets. It is a top notch website which teaches a child how to read. There are read-aloud books and interactive games based on the different alphabets. Both uppercase and lowercase alphabets are emphasized and taught.
100 over games for kids individually rated for their age suitability and popularity. An excellent stop for a variety of actives to keep your child occupied and supplement their learning.
There is a selection of crafts, games and songs from Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, Wonder Pets, Ruby & Max and many others.
Recommended Age: 2yrs +
Rating: 4 Stars
Sesame Street
An all time favourite program which I grew up with during my childhood. One can revisit Oscar the grouch, Ernie and Bert or even Big Bert in the various interactive games available at that site. Art & Music actives also help to build your child’s interest in these areas. Recommended Age: 2yrs +
The Goos in the site bring you through a variety of activities from matching similar words, finding opposites to going on a trail.Note: This website is more suitable for kids who already have already mastered the alphabets. Recommended Age: 3yrs +
Rating: 4 Stars
Ready Set Learn
Games, Music and puzzles from Toddler world, Paz Place, Hi-5, Magic School bus are just some of the characters featured on this website. Recommended Age: 2 yrs+
From the books of the famous children writer Eric Hill. There are books to read, Videos, Cds and games.
You can send a postcard from Spot to your best friend. Recommended Age: 1yr +
If you are fans of the classic “Cat in the Hat” by Dr Seuss you would like the ‘click and play’ or ‘print and play’ selection that there is in their playground. However the number of games at this site is quite limited. There is more links on their existing products – Books, Videos, Cds and how to purchase them. The site can be used as an introduction to your child on the Dr Seuss series of books. Recommended Age: 2yrs +