Letter Tiles Can Help Kids Focus on Phonics

Frequently, kids guess wildly at a word in a story instead of using their phonic skills to decode it. When they seem unable to sound out the word at your prompting, try reproducing it with letter cubes or tiles. Now there is no clutter—no words next to, above, or below the unknown word. Also, because kids typically enjoy manipulatives, this is an appealing way to practice. After he successfully reads the word, have him return to the story, reading it on the page and continuing the sentence.

For children who tire after reading a paragraph or two, interrupt with phonetic practice using the letter cubes or tiles to make word families. After a few minutes, have them read a bit more of the story. This approach gives their eyes a rest, alters their focus so that they don’t become overwhelmed, and ultimately allows them to spend more time practicing reading at one sitting.