Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds, or phonemes, in spoken words. It's a crucial skill for learning to read and write, as it helps children understand how sounds form words. For example, being able to recognize that the word "cat" consists of the sounds /k/, /æ/, and /t/ enables a child to decode and spell it. Phonemic awareness is distinct from phonics, which involves the relationship between sounds and their corresponding letters. Developing this awareness can significantly enhance a child's reading abilities and overall literacy skills.