To ask if phonics matter?

[FrothyDragon]

I promise I'm not stealth boasting here... Anyway, for the past six months, I've been trying to teach DS (4 yrs) his phonics. He starts school in September this year. Anyway. For Christmas, my best friend bought him one of those kids laptops, and within three weeks, DS has managed to learn all of the letters, (not in phonic format) although he mispronounces a couple, and gets his "D" and "B" muddled up. But his recall of the letters is pretty accurate.

So, does his knowledge of the phonics matter quite yet? And if so, how do I help him grasp that, and understand the phonic sound is the same as the letters on the page/laptop?

They'll teach him in school so it's not a major issue.

I taught DS by playing a game when in the car by saying things like B is for ball, 'b' 'b' (sounds) ball. R is for road, 'r' 'r' road.... etc. So I taught the letter and sound together, if that makes any sense at all?

It was all just for fun and a way to occupy him at the time but he caught on very quickly. Now we play the game where I say the letter and he thinks of something beginning with that letter. No pressure though.... that's important!

This is a good little trick here He can use his hands as a memory aid when he gets confused.

You don't sound boastful by the way

I'm a big fan of phonics for most children. My DS (4.5) is autistic and knows his letter sounds but can I get him to blend them? No. Might be that he will need to learn the shapes of whole words.

if you go on youtube there is a video this is what ds has been learning at school. He loves all the songs and the actions. Maybe start off with a few of the easy one, I know ds started off with s, t, a, p, i, n and m.

2 things occur:

1. Make sure he's saying the sounds correctly, and that you are too - it makes it hard when it comes to putting the sounds together (blending) if a child is saying
   "suh" instead of a short "s" sound. Look up Jolly Phonics on You Tube.

2. It's a good start to know the sounds. If you want to you can do a little blending, just in a very casual way eg "That's a c-a-t cat".

BUT, this is what he'll be learning at school. I don't think I'd bang on too much for fear he'll be bored when he starts. OTOH, it will give him confidence. But you don't need to "teach" him.

The teachers will appreciate you reading and sharing books - talking about the stories, understanding what is happening, enjoying books, far far more than teaching him to decode.

... I say that because

1. some children can read (decode) but their comprehension lags
2. A love of stories and books will be what keeps on encouraging him to progress.