As a child learns to spell and read, the first thing that they use is phonics. That is what enables them to make the connections between letters, sounds, and eventually spelling. 

You will find that this is an integral part of your child’s life, so you must make sure that you put in all the effort necessary to help them understand letter recognition better. 

Let’s take a look at what laws you must follow for your child to work on their reading and spelling with the help of phonics. 

The Vowels Law

The first rule when it comes to the guide to teaching phonics is to remember the law of the vowels. You want to make sure that your child knows there’s a vowel in almost every syllable of a word. 

You will find that a vowel can stand alone as one syllable, and it can also be in the middle of other consonants. For instance, “robot” is a two-syllable word – “ro-bot.” There are plenty of other words that you can test this out with. 

The Silent “E”

One of the more prominent laws of phonics is the silent “e”. Here, if you find an “e” at the end of a word, and there is a vowel in the middle, then the “e” will not be pronounced. Therefore, it will remain silent. 

For instance, let’s look at the word “side.” There is a vowel in the middle, followed by a consonant, and then the “e.” You don’t pronounce it here. This is because of the pattern it follows. If you see the vowel, consonant, and “e” pattern, always keep the “e” silent. 

Consonants and Digraphs

A common term used to help children understand how consonants sound together is digraphs. While the word itself might seem too complex, what it means is not complex. It is simply talking about how two consonants or letters sound together. 

For instance, when you say “shape,” the sound that the “sh” makes is considered to be a digraph. To help with this learning, you can use different phonic apps and tools for your child. Doing so will allow them to work on their reading and spelling. 

Concluding Thoughts

When teaching your child phonics, make sure that you pay attention to their needs. Focus on how to help them work on their process of decoding and phonics awareness. 

You’ll make it easier to help children associate sounds with their letters and words after this. You can also make use of online learning for this. Platforms such as YouTube impact a child’s learning immensely.