The Parent's Guide to

Phonological Awareness & Phase 1 Phonics

What is phonological awareness?

Phonological awareness = tuning into all the sounds in the world.

That sounds intense, let me explain...

It's your child's ability to hear, notice, and play with sounds in their environment and in spoken words without looking at a single written letter.

You may have seen it referred to as phase 1 phonics - that tends to be what nurseries call it.

Phonological awareness is an umbrella term for all the skills that come before phonics (<----- click that link, you'll like it 😉)

It's where children learn how to blend and segment sounds, decipher and discuss sounds in their environment, and learn about rhythm in spoken language - all of which are needed to become an independent reader and lover of books.

All phonological awareness skills learnt in phase 1 are then applied to and consolidated when children begin to learn phonics. Children need them before they start phonics, so phonics doesn't feel like trying to keep your house looking like no one lives there with a feral child running round... 

Check out these blog posts:

Phonological Awareness vs. Phonics: What's the difference and why does it matter?

My go-to phonological awareness games that build my pre-schooler's reading skills

What is phonemic awareness, and how is it different from phonological awareness?

Phonological awareness = knowing what a barking dog sounds like

Phonemic awareness = knowing what sounds are in the word 'dog'

Phonemic awareness is the last chunk of phonological awareness, just before phonics starts.

It's where children learn how to focus on the sounds in words. Still not looking at sound flashcards (for the love of god, put them away!). It's all about hearing the sounds.

Oral blending and oral segmenting are the skills developed in the phonemic awareness stage. Without these skills, phonics is rough going. Click here for a free checklist of skills your child needs before phonics.

Check out these blog posts:

What is Phase 1 phonics and why is it foundational?

What should I teach my pre-schooler before they start school?

What is Phase 1 phonics, and why does it come before letter sounds?

Phase 1 is the foundation of the house; phases 2-6 are the house.

Without phase 1, the rest of it will show cracks and be harder to build.

Phase 1 phonics helps children learn to listen carefully to sounds in general before they start learning letter sounds.

Children learn to hear and recognise the sounds in spoken words through songs, rhymes, games and everyday play.

It comes before letter sounds because children need to be able to tune into and identify sounds before they can link them to letters. 

Check out these blog posts:

What is Phase 1 phonics and why is it foundational?

3 signs your child is ready to learn phonics

What are the 7 aspects of Phase 1?

There are seven areas covered in Phase 1 phonics:

1. Environmental sounds: listening to and identifying sounds around us, like a dog barking, a car going past or the washing machine.
2. Instrumental sounds: exploring and listening to sounds made by instruments and everyday objects.
3. Body percussion: making sounds with our bodies, clapping, stamping, tapping, clicking... basically anything that makes a noise.
4. Rhythm and rhyme: noticing the rhythm of spoken language and hearing when words rhyme.
5. Alliteration: noticing words that start with the same sound, like sun, sock, sandwich.
6. Voice sounds: exploring the different sounds we can make with our voices.
7. Oral blending and segmenting: hearing the individual sounds in spoken words and putting them back together.

These seven areas don't need to be taught as seven separate lessons. In fact, they are best taught in spontaneous, everyday moments. 

They can be built into songs, stories, conversations, silly games and jobs around the house.

Some children will whizz through some areas while needing much more time with others. That's completely normal.

If you find thinking of ways to weave these things into your day, I tell you exactly what to do in Before Phonics.

Check out these blog posts:

What is Phase 1 phonics and why is it foundational?

When should my child start Phase 1 phonics?

Honestly? Earlier than you probably think... 

Phase 1 isn't about sitting your two-year-old down with a workbook and going through each page even though they don't really want to.

Phase 1 arguably starts as soon as your child is born, because it's all about listening and talking.

Babies and toddlers are already learning about sounds when they listen to you talk, hear songs and rhymes, copy noises, notice the dog barking or join in with repetitive books.

As they get older, you can become a little more deliberate about drawing their attention to sounds and playing with words.

There isn't an age when Phase 1 suddenly needs to start, and the sooner you start the better. Reading to and talking to your child are the best things to start with, so they can tune into your voice and the rhythm of language.

It's something that develops gradually through the preschool years, and the lovely thing is that most of the things that support it don't look remotely like teaching.

Download the checklist to see what you should be focusing on.

Check out these blog posts:

What should I actually be doing at home?

This is probably the question I get asked most.

And don't worry, the answer isn't 'buy a load of phonics resources' - I hate when people online tell parents this! It's a real bugbear of mine.

You can build phonological awareness through things you're probably already doing:

• Sing nursery rhymes.
• Read rhyming books.
• Make up silly rhymes.
• Clap the beats in your child's name.
• Go on listening walks.
• Play games where you have to guess a sound.
• Make silly noises together.
• Talk about words that sound the same.
• Play with the sounds in your child's name.
• And eventually, start playing simple oral blending and segmenting games.

The important bit is that your child is listening to and playing with sounds in spoken language.

No looking at letters at this stage, just listening!

If you're wondering exactly what to do, I've put together a free Before Phonics Checklist that shows you the skills I'd want to see developing before a child moves into formal phonics.

And if you want me to take you through exactly how I would build these skills with a pre-schooler, that's what I've created Before Phonics for.

Check out these blog posts:

My go-to phonological awareness games that build my pre-schooler's reading skills

Does my child need to know letter sounds before starting phonics?

No.

And this is one of the biggest misconceptions I see. Parents have been conditioned that their child must know letter sounds to get ahead in reception, but if children don't have phonological awareness, they are actually creating gaps in learning. That's not parents' fault; it's a lack of accurate resources - how lucky are you that you found me 😉

Knowing a few letter sounds can be useful, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with a child being interested in letters.

But knowing that m makes an 'mmm' sound isn't the same thing as being able to hear and work with sounds in spoken words.

Before children can use letters to read words, they need to be able to hear what is happening inside those words.

• Can they hear that cat and cap sound different at the end?
• Can they hear that sun and sock start with the same sound?
• Can they hear the beats in banana?
• Can they put c-a-t together when you say the sounds aloud?

These are the skills that come before phonics. The hard bit isn't learning what the letters look like; it's learning what to do with them.

So if your child doesn't know lots of letter sounds yet, that doesn't mean you're behind.

I'd much rather see a child developing strong listening and phonological awareness skills than racing through a pile of flashcards without understanding what to actually do with them!

Check out these blog posts:

My go-to phonological awareness games that build my pre-schooler's reading skills

Is my child behind if they can't rhyme, blend, or hear sounds yet?

Not necessarily.

Children don't all develop these skills at exactly the same time, and there's a huge range of normal development during the preschool years.

What I would pay attention to is progress.

• Are they becoming more interested in sounds?
• Are they joining in with songs and rhymes?
• Are they noticing when words sound the same?
• Are they becoming better at listening and following sounds?
• Are they beginning to play with sounds themselves?

If a skill isn't there yet, it doesn't automatically mean there's a problem. It may just mean your child needs more opportunities to hear and practise it.

And this is exactly why I think Phase 1 deserves more attention.

I don't want you to panic or feel guilty if your child can't do something! 🩷

Work out what skill they're working on and how to give them more opportunities to develop it.

If you're unsure which skills your child has and which ones need a little more attention, start with my free checklist.

Check out these blog posts:

My child isn't talking much yet. Does that affect this?

It can, because phonological awareness is all about spoken language. Children need opportunities to hear words, listen to sounds and eventually play with the sounds they hear.

But you don't need to wait until your child is talking before you start supporting these skills. Phonological awareness is about listening too! Children need plenty of rich opportunities to listen, communicate and play with language.

• You can sing.
• You can talk.
• You can read.
• You can make sounds together.
• You can copy your child's noises and let them copy yours.
• You can play listening games and draw attention to the sounds around you.

And if you're concerned about your child's speech or language development, that's a separate conversation from whether they're 'ready for phonics'. It's worth speaking to your health visitor, nursery or a speech and language professional about your individual child. You're also more than welcome to send me a message so I can try and help you! 

Check out these blog posts:

Why your child's language could make or break their school journey

How much Phase 1 phonics should we be doing?

Much less than you probably expect. What you don't need to do is carve out time in your day. Phase 1 by design can be slotted into conversations, activities, travelling, and chores throughout the day.

The idea is for it to feel like a natural part of your daily conversations with your child.

• A nursery rhyme in the car.
• Clapping names while you're getting dressed.
• Listening for sounds on the school run.
• Making up a silly rhyme at bedtime.
• Playing an oral blending game while you're making dinner.

The goal is to give your child lots and lots of opportunities to hear, notice and play with sounds.

Some parents find this difficult and overwhelming if they aren't quite sure what they should be focusing on, so I created Before Phonics that walks you through exactly what to do. 

Check out these blog posts:

Do we need special resources to teach Phase 1?

Nope.

This is one of my favourite things about Phase 1.

You really don't need a cupboard full of phonics equipment.

• Your voice is a resource.
• Your hands are a resource.
• A book is a resource.
• The sounds outside your window are a resource.
• A walk to the shops is a resource.
• Your child's name is a resource.

The most valuable thing you can give your child at this stage is not another workbook, but time to listen, talk, sing, play and notice sounds together.

Check out these blog posts:

What happens if my child starts Reception without solid Phase 1 skills?

First of all: don't panic.

Starting Reception without being able to do every Phase 1 skill perfectly doesn't mean your child is destined to struggle with reading.

Children develop at different rates, and schools will continue to develop these foundations alongside the beginning of formal phonics.

But it does make the early stages of phonics harder if a child is still finding it difficult to hear and work with sounds in spoken words.

Imagine being asked to match a sound to a letter when you're not yet quite sure what you're listening for.

That's why I bang on about the foundations so much.

The aim isn't to get your child 'ahead' before school - ahead of what no one is quite sure 😜

It's to make the transition into phonics smoother because they've already had plenty of experience listening to, noticing and playing with sounds.

If your child is starting school soon and you're wondering what they actually need to know before phonics begins, my Before Phonics Checklist is a good place to start.

Check out these blog posts:

How will I know when my child is ready for Phase 2?

There isn't one magical moment where your child wakes up, and you think, right, Phase 2 today then.

Readiness is about a collection of skills developing rather than one particular achievement.

You'd want to see your child becoming confident with listening and attention, playing with rhyme and rhythm, noticing sounds and beginning to hear the sounds within spoken words.

Oral blending and segmenting are particularly important as children move towards formal phonics.

For example, can your child hear c-a-t → cat when you say the sounds aloud?

Or segment a word like dog into its individual sounds when you ask?

Remember, we're talking about sounds they can hear, not letters they can see.

If you're not sure what to look for, download this checklist.

And if you'd like someone to take you through the whole process step by step, that's exactly what I created Before Phonics for.

Check out these blog posts:

Is my toddler really reading? How to support a 2.5-year-old who's starting phonics early

Does Phase 1 still matter if my child already knows some letter sounds?

Yes! 💯

Knowing some letter sounds doesn't mean you've missed the boat with Phase 1.

And it certainly doesn't mean you need to stop singing nursery rhymes, playing listening games or working on oral blending and segmenting.

In fact, I'd keep doing all of those things.

A child can know lots of letter sounds and still find it difficult to blend those sounds together to read a word.

That's because knowing the code and using the code are different skills.

In fact, it was pretty much guaranteed that every year I would have a group of children in my reception class who could recognise letter sounds, but couldn't blend them and needed Phase 1 intervention support.

Phase 1 gives children the listening foundations they need to make sense of what they're being taught when formal phonics begins.

So if your child already loves letters, brilliant.

Follow that interest.

Just don't let letter learning push out all the sound-based play that comes before it.

Check out these blog posts:

Why does Phase 1 matter so much for learning to read?

Because reading isn't just about knowing what a letter says.

It's about being able to connect what you see with what you hear.

And before children can do that successfully, they need to understand that spoken language is made up of sounds that can be noticed, separated, blended and played with.

That's what phonological awareness is.

Research consistently links phonological awareness with later reading development, and it is one of the key foundations children draw on when they begin learning to decode words.

It makes phonics make sense. Instead of throwing children straight into a world of letters, sounds, flashcards and blending, we're giving them the foundations first.

• We're helping them become good listeners.
• We're helping them notice sounds.
• We're giving them a chance to play with language.

And then, when they come to learn what letters look like, they have something to attach them to.

That's what I mean when I say Before Phonics.

Check out these blog posts: