As the founder and educational therapist at Learn with Alyssa, I’m passionate about equipping children with the foundational skills they need for lifelong reading success. One of the most important (and often misunderstood) skills for early literacy is phonemic awareness (PA). Whether you’re in Marin County or seeking a virtual reading tutor or educational consulting, this guide will help you understand what phonemic awareness is, why it’s vital, and how I incorporate it into my evidence-based approach to teaching reading.
What Is Phonemic Awareness?
Phonemic awareness (PA) is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the smallest units of sound in spoken language—called phonemes. For example, recognizing that the word “cat” is made up of the sounds /c/, /a/, and /t/ is a phonemic awareness skill. This is challenging for most beginners as we co-articulate (or smoosh all the sounds together) when we talk. We do not need PA to learn to talk, however; phoneme awareness is particularly critical because it directly supports reading and spelling.
Why Is Phonemic Awareness So Important for Reading?
Phonemic awareness is essential because it helps children:
Decode Words: Blending sounds together (e.g., /b/ + /a/ + /t/ = bat) is a crucial step in learning to read unfamiliar words.
Spell Words: Segmenting sounds in a word (e.g., breaking “dog” into /d/ /o/ /g/) supports accurate spelling.
Map Words for Memory: Phonemic awareness contributes to orthographic mapping, a process where children store words in their long-term memory for effortless recall and automaticity in reading.
We need to be able to "stick" and blend individual sounds together to read/decode words, and we need to be able to "unstick" or segment each sound to be able to spell/encode words. Research consistently shows that weak phonemic awareness skills can hinder reading and spelling development, making it harder for children to become fluent. It is a prerequisite skill to reading and writing!
Signs Your Child May Need Phonemic Awareness Support
Difficulty blending sounds into words (e.g., /p/ /a/ /t/ doesn’t translate to “pat”).
Trouble breaking words into their individual sounds (e.g., can’t segment “stop” into /s/ /t/ /o/ /p/).
Struggles with rhyming, identifying syllables, or recognizing/isolating beginning sounds or ending sounds.
Omission of sounds/letters in their spelling (e.g., spelling dek for "desk" or sop for "stop").
Struggling to read adjacent consonants in CCVC or CVCC words (e.g., the adjacent consonant sounds like /c/ and /l/ in the word club or the /m/ and /p/ in the word lump). They omit sounds or they can't "unstick" those sounds and they seem to get tripped up or jumbled when they attempt to read them.
If your child is exhibiting these challenges, early intervention is key. At Learn with Alyssa, I offer customized reading tutoring and parent coaching to help build these critical skills.
Phonemic Awareness vs. Phonics
Phonemic awareness is entirely auditory—you don’t need letters or visual cues to practice it. However, research has shown that combining phonemic awareness with phonics (where letters are introduced to represent sounds) is even more effective.
For instance, the National Reading Panel (2000) found that teaching children to manipulate phonemes with letters has a much greater impact on reading skills than auditory-only instruction. This is why my tutoring sessions use activities like word building and word chains—a powerful method that blends phonemic awareness with letters for maximum impact.
What Are Word Chains?
Word chains (sometimes known as word ladders) are a fun, hands-on way to build reading and spelling skills. Here’s how they work:
Start with a word (e.g., “cat”) that matches a child's PA level.
Change one letter at a time to make a new word (e.g., “cat” → “bat” → “bit” → “sit”).
Students practice hearing, segmenting, blending, and substituting sounds while working with letters.
Word chains are effective because they engage multiple skills at once, promoting fluency and helping children map words for long-term memory.

Why Early Intervention Matters
By the end of kindergarten, children should have developed basic phonemic awareness skills. If your child struggles with these skills, it’s critical to intervene as soon as possible. Poor phonemic awareness not only affects reading and spelling accuracy but also impacts comprehension and writing fluency, even in older readers if they have not mastered this skill.
Research shows that even 10 minutes a day of targeted practice can make a significant difference. As part of my tutoring program, I tailor lessons to your child’s needs, ensuring they receive the support required for a solid foundation and lasting success.
How I Help Families Build Phonemic Awareness Skills
As an experienced tutor and educational consultant serving Marin County and virtual clients, I integrate phonemic awareness into every literacy lesson. Using evidence-based strategies, I:
Provide direct instruction in blending, segmenting, and manipulating sounds.
Incorporate multisensory activities to make learning engaging and effective.
Combine phonemic awareness with phonics for a well-rounded, efficient approach.
Offer diagnostic reading assessments to uncover what is holding your reader back, what their current strengths are, and how to best support them.
Coach parents to continue supporting these skills at home with ease, giving them access to my growing resource vault.
Ready to Help Your Child Succeed & Improve Their Reading at Super Speed?
Phonemic awareness is the foundation of reading success, and it’s never too early (or too late) to build these skills. If you’re in Marin County or seeking virtual tutoring and coaching, let’s work together to give your child the tools they need to thrive.
Visit www.learnwithalyssa.net to learn more about my services and schedule a free consultation. Together, we can unlock your child’s full potential and create a confident, capable reader!
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