{"id":4065,"date":"2023-09-15T07:04:34","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T15:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/?p=4065"},"modified":"2026-04-27T13:11:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T20:11:28","slug":"how-to-teach-phonics-to-first-graders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/advice\/how-to-teach-phonics-to-first-graders\/4065","title":{"rendered":"How to Teach Phonics to First Graders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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How to Teach Phonics to First Graders<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Get tips on teaching phonics to first graders, as well as fun activities to help reinforce their learning.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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By Jill Staake<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviewed by Dr. Stanley Diih<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Table of Contents<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Phonics and Phonemic Awareness<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Master Consonant Blends<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduce Digraphs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn About Long Vowels and Silent-E Words<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tackle Inflectional Endings<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Break Words into Syllables<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ABCmouse Can Help Teach Phonics<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Phonics and Phonemic Awareness<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Imagine your child has a treasure map, and the path to finding the treasure is by understanding how letters and sounds work together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s what phonics is all about<\/a>! Phonics<\/strong> is like a special code-cracking kit that helps children figure out how each letter makes its sound<\/strong>. Just like a detective solves mysteries, children will be solving the mystery of how words come to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, let’s meet another superhero for your child: phonemic awareness<\/strong>! Think of it as a superpower to hear and play with individual sounds in words. You know how music is made up of different notes, and you can identify each one? Well, with phonemic awareness, your child can learn to hear each sound in a word, just like magic!<\/p>\n\n\n

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But why are phonics and phonemic awareness so important?  Imagine trying to build a sandcastle without knowing how to pack sand into shapes. <\/strong>These two super tools help children break down words into tiny sounds and then blend them back together to understand what a word is saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In fact, research underscores the importance of systematic phonics instruction<\/strong> for effective reading development. A comprehensive meta-analysis<\/a> by several educational psychology professionals at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York showed that “systematic phonics instruction helped children learn to read better<\/strong> than all forms of control group instruction, including whole language.” This approach systematically builds knowledge and skills<\/strong>, making phonics accessible to all learners, from the earliest readers to those struggling with reading disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading without phonics and phonemic awareness is like trying to build words without knowing how to put sounds together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First graders have generally mastered<\/strong> the <\/strong>alphabet and the basic sounds the letters<\/a><\/strong> make, meaning they\u2019ve already got good phonics skills under their belts. Now they\u2019re ready for more advanced concepts,<\/strong> like digraphs and silent-e words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out what skills they need to know, and how to teach phonics to first graders in ways that make the learning stick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Master Consonant Blends<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In consonant blends, two consonants work together to make one smooth sound<\/strong>: \/st\/, \/sp\/, \/br\/, \/tr\/, \/pl\/, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teach kids to pronounce each consonant, but to slide them together<\/strong> into one sound. This seems like a simple concept, but takes a little practice. Once kids master consonant blends, though, they\u2019ll find they can read lots of four and five-letter words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Consonant Blend Activities<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n