Phonemic Awareness in Kindergarten

Welcome to Our Sound-Play Classroom!

In Kindergarten, learning to read starts with learning to hear the sounds in words. We use the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Program daily to build strong literacy foundations. It’s fun, fast, and gets our brains ready to read!

What Is Phonemic Awareness?

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and work with the individual sounds in spoken words. It’s not about letters—just sounds! These skills are the foundation for learning to read and spell.

📌 Example: Hearing the three sounds in “cat” → /c/ /a/ /t/

Why Is Phonemic Awareness So Important?

• 🧠 Builds brain connections for reading

• 🧩 Supports decoding and spelling

• 🎵 Develops listening and sound recognition

• 📚 Linked to long-term reading success

Our Daily Routine with Heggerty

⏱️ Quick & Consistent: 10–12 minutes daily

🗣️ All Oral: No worksheets—just listening, speaking, and movement

🙋 Interactive: Students repeat, clap, tap, and engage with words and sounds

The Skills Your Child Will Build

💡 Skill

What It Teaches

Rhyming

Hearing word endings that match

Beginning Sounds

Identifying first sounds in words

Blending

Putting sounds together to make a word

Segmenting

Breaking a word into individual sounds

Manipulating Sounds

Adding, deleting, or changing sounds to make new words

How You Can Help at Home

• 🎶 Sing rhyming songs and nursery rhymes

• 👂 Ask: “What sound does ‘dog’ start with?”

• 👏 Clap out syllables in family names

• 🧠 Stretch simple words: “Say ‘cat’ slowly—/c/ /a/ /t/”

Our Big Goal

“We are building confident, capable, and joyful readers—starting with strong listening and sound awareness skills.”