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Step 3: Phoneme Blending
A Critical Step to Reading Mastery
Both phoneme blending and the alphabetic principle skills are required for your child to be able to decode (read) words successfully.
Numerous research studies show that the inability to read proficiently typically stems from insufficient training in these skills. Therefore, if your child’s reading is hesitant or choppy, be assured she needs practice with these two skills before moving on to the next levels, finally becoming a confident, successful reader.
The ability to read words requires mastery in phoneme blending or “auditory reading.” Numerous research studies show that the inability to read properly typically stems from insufficient training with phoneme blending. If your child has mastered phonemic awareness and the alphabetic principle, he is ready to be trained in phoneme blending.
In an example of phoneme blending, you would teach your child to turn the three sounds /d/ + /o/ + /g/ into the word ‘dog.’ This blending technique doesn’t involve any letters. You can say two or three letter sounds in succession and ask the child what word those sounds make.
Use our checklist to determine exactly where your children are at on the path to reading. Give your children simple tests to reveal any specific gaps in their skills that need filling in. All the materials you’ll need to build those missing skills are included. Building New Pathways
At first, your child might find it difficult to learn how to blend sounds together into words because they are developing new neurological pathways. But, persistence and patience will eventually lead to mastery. This skill is vital in preparation for the next, more difficult step of phoneme segmentation.
Our company developed apps to help children build strong blending skills. These games include many CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, such as dog, hat, and dig. These apps also include uncommon CVC words to give children lots of practice words and secondarily develop a larger vocabulary. Some programs use nonsense words for practice, but we thought it best to instead use uncommon words for added practice.
It’s imperative to use only properly designed games and activities that teach this skill. The products we created below are the very best available for learning how to blend letter sounds into words. When using these products with your child, it’s best to start off with the two or three phoneme words before moving to words with four or more phonemes. The Best Products Available for Teaching Phoneme Blending
ABC Reading Magic 1
Short Vowel Words
Your Child will learn how to blend, segment, and read 3-letter, short vowel words
This exciting game app introduces your child to CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, such as “cat,” “box,” and “rug.” It reinforces letter sound knowledge and helps children learn the essential reading skill of segmenting.
ABC Reading Magic 2
Consonant Blends
This app focuses on consonant blends-CVCC (consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant) and CCVC (consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant) words, such as “land”, “jump” and “nest”. It also reinforces letter sound knowledge and helps children learn the essential reading skill of segmenting.
