What Is Phonological Awareness?
Phonological awareness is a foundational early literacy skill that helps children understand and work with the sounds in spoken language. Before a child learns to read or spell, they first learn to hear, recognise, and manipulate sound patterns in words (Gillon, 2018).
When children develop strong phonological awareness, they begin to understand that spoken words are made up of smaller sound parts. This skill creates the foundation for phonics, where children learn how written letters represent sounds. Together, phonological awareness and phonics support confident, fluent reading and accurate spelling (Ehri, 2014).
Why Phonological Awareness Matters
Children who can hear and work with the sounds in words tend to learn to read and spell more easily.
Without this awareness, reading can become confusing or frustrating because the child may not recognise how sounds connect to written letters.
Strong phonological awareness supports:
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Clear speech development
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Early reading confidence
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Spelling accuracy
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Long-term reading fluency
Key Phonological Awareness Skills
Phonological awareness develops gradually, beginning with listening and sound play. Over time, children learn to work with sounds at deeper, more detailed levels.
Skills include: (Convert to list block in WordPress)
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Rhyming – recognising words with the same ending sound (cat, hat, bat)
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Alliteration – noticing words beginning with the same sound (big blue ball)
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Sentence Segmentation – understanding that sentences are made of separate words
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Syllable Awareness – clapping or counting the beats in words (el-e-phant)
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Onset and Rime – blending the first sound with the rest of the word (/c/ + /at/ = cat)
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Phoneme Blending – pushing sounds together to form a word (/d/-/o/-/g/ = dog)
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Phoneme Segmentation – breaking words into separate sounds (ship → /sh/ /i/ /p/)
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Phoneme Manipulation – changing sounds to create new words (mat → sat)
These skills help children tune their ears to language — a critical step before reading.
How Speech Pathologists Help
Speech pathologists assess whether a child is developing phonological awareness at the expected level.
If a child is having difficulty, therapy focuses on:
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Listening games
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Sound play
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Rhyming and syllable activities
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Blending and segmenting practice
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Play-based sound tasks
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Reading and spelling activities matched to level
We use multi-sensory, structured, and engaging methods to keep learning enjoyable and progress steady.
For children with speech sound difficulties, early support in phonological awareness can significantly improve long-term reading and spelling success (Gillon, 2018).
Why Early Intervention Matters
Children who struggle with phonological awareness are more likely to experience reading challenges later on if support is delayed (Lonigan et al., 2000).
Early, explicit teaching helps children build the strong word recognition skills described in Scarborough’s Reading Rope (Scarborough, 2001), setting them up for confidence, comprehension and enjoyment of reading.
We’re Here to Support Your Child
If your child is finding early reading or speech development difficult, we’re here to help.
At Perth Speech Therapy, we create personalised, playful sessions that support sound awareness, reading confidence, and joyful communication.
📞 Email: info@perthspeechtherapy.com.au
🌐 Website: www.perthspeechtherapy.com.au
📍 Serving families across Perth
Locations: Unit 1 595 Canning Hwy Alfred Cove
M: 0412256656
FAQ: Phonological Awareness
What does “phonological awareness” mean in simple terms?
Phonological awareness means being able to hear and play with the sounds in spoken words. Children might notice rhyming words, clap out syllables, or break a word into smaller sounds. These early sound skills come before reading and spelling, and they help your child connect sounds to letters later on.
At what age does phonological awareness develop?
Children usually begin developing phonological awareness in the preschool years, often through songs, storybooks and play. The skills continue growing through Kindy and early primary school.
If your child is still finding sound play tricky at school age, support can make a big difference.
How do phonological awareness skills help with reading?
Reading requires children to match sounds to letters.
When a child understands how spoken words break into sounds, they can learn phonics more easily. As a result, they become more confident readers who rely on decoding — rather than guessing — when they see new words.
Is phonological awareness the same as phonics?
Not quite.
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Phonological awareness happens with spoken sounds (no letters yet).
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Phonics links sounds to written letters.
Phonological awareness comes first and forms the foundation for successful phonics learning.
Can children with speech sound difficulties struggle with phonological awareness?
Yes, they often do. Because speech involves hearing and producing sounds accurately, children who have difficulty saying certain sounds sometimes find sound-awareness activities challenging.
However, with gentle practice, children can improve both their speech clarity and their sound awareness at the same time.
What activities help build phonological awareness at home?
You don’t need worksheets — just simple, playful moments. Here are some easy ideas:
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Sing nursery songs and choose ones with rhyme and repetition
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Play “I spy” with sounds (e.g., “I spy something starting with /s/”)
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Clap out syllables when saying words together
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Pause while reading to ask, “Do these words rhyme?”
Short, fun activities work best — especially when children feel relaxed and encouraged.
How can a speech pathologist support phonological awareness?
A speech pathologist can assess which sound skills need strengthening, then use structured, evidence-based activities to help your child practise listening, blending and segmenting sounds.
We keep sessions engaging, supportive and paced to your child’s needs.
When should we seek support?
If your child:
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finds rhyming difficult
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avoids or becomes frustrated during early reading
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has unclear speech and struggles to hear sounds in words
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guesses words instead of sounding them out
…then early support can make learning easier and prevent literacy challenges later on.
We’re here to help.
If you’re unsure where your child is at, we’re always happy to chat.
M: 0412 256 656
Contact Us :info@perthspeechtherapy.com.au