What is Decoding? What is Phonics? How to Sound Out Words?

What is decoding and what is phonics? That’s a good question for those who are still taking their initial steps in teaching their kids the English language and helping them to spell the letters and words correctly.

Letting the kids understand what is decoding is considered one of the important steps taken in the world of letters and phonics. Decoding in general is the process of converting a message or some codes in a language that one could understand, but when it comes to decoding letters or words, then it means applying the knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including the knowledge of letter patterns to correctly pronounce the written words.

Some people might ask why would this step be considered important when it comes to kids. Decoding words is beneficial for kids because it will give them the chance to recognize some words quickly and at the same time they will be able to spell and figure out other words which they are viewing and reading for the first time.

One of the examples or the initial letters that kids are usually introduced to when it comes to decoding – especially those who are following the jolly phonics method – are (S.A.T.P.I.N) and this goes back to the different words and sounds that these words could actually produce. It could be “sat”, “pin”, “sit”, “pat”, etc. and the kid will need to pronounce the letters correctly before moving a little bit forward to the point of spelling the whole word correctly.

Kids should understand the meaning of phonics when they reach the point of learning the letters and how they are supposed to be pronounced when they come among words – this is important because the letters on their own are pronounced differently than when they are placed in words – and all this should be at the beginning of the ABC alphabet learning process.

There are lots of ways that parents and teachers could use when it comes to educating the kids and teaching them the English alphabet letters, it could happen through some games, through showing them several tricks, and it could happen through showing the kids how these letters should be written with the ordinary methods of a pen and a paper or on a white board.

Kids love when things get creative and when they consider themselves on some kind of a challenge, and maybe that’s the main reason why they learn faster when the lesson is about some games and tricks. They could learn to write down the letters with using play doe and shaping those letters , they could also learn to write down the letters by forming the shapes with the Lego pieces, and there are lots of other creative ways, such as writing the letters down with crayon and paint.

The creativity of the parent or the teacher will always be the thing playing the role in the whole educational process, which is also the same reason why some kids might find their homeschooling interesting while others might not like it that much. If you are homeschooling your kid then try to get as much ideas as possible in order to succeed at teaching the kid and at the same time keep them excited for as long as possible.

Let the kids lead the game and you will find them the ones repeating the process and the ones who want to do more and thus will manage to learn faster and easier. Repetition is important because it helps the kids to take in the information delivered to them and it also gives the parent the chance to make sure that the kids totally understood the whole thing and will be willing to move forward and accept new information.

Sing the alphabet for the kids  show them how all the letters should be written down before stressing on every single letter on its own, and then move forward to how they are supposed to be pronounced and written separately.

Enjoy watching this video and let the kids get introduced to decoding words and how they should sound at the end.

LearningMole focuses on educating children of all ages. We offer advice and practical, interactive ideas to help parents challenge, homeschool, teach and develop their children’s skills at home.

Help your child to explore the key concepts of number, counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in Maths. Spelling, reading, writing and grammar in English. Help them to develop their imagination and creativity with crafts and to explore a range of skills to cook, bake and create tasty treats and snacks.

Easy to follow activities will support you and your child to learn and practice new concepts as well as enjoy spending time together. Help your child to progress and explore and most importantly – have fun!

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