2. When to Teach Phoneme Identification

Phoneme identification is a foundational word recognition skill that falls in the middle of the phonological continuum of skills.

We typically introduce phoneme identification in kindergarten and solidify it in first grade. Some children may be ready for phoneme identification as early as pre-K.  

Children should have an understanding of key early phonemic awareness skills before you teach phoneme identification. Ask yourself these four questions about your students:

• Do they understand that words are made up of speech sounds?
• Do they know that syllables are parts of a word?
• Can they segment a word’s onset from its rime? 
• Do they know the sounds that short and long vowels make?

If you can answer yes to all of them, it's time to teach phoneme identification. If not, you'll need to solidify those skills before moving ahead.