Phonemic and Phonological Awareness

The First Step to Reading: Hearing Sounds

Before children can read words,
they need to hear sounds clearly.

This might sound obvious, but it is one of the most missed steps in early reading.

Many adults start with letters:
A–B–C, sounds on flashcards, or early reading books.
But reading does not begin with the eyes.
It begins with the ears.

Why hearing sounds matters first

When children learn to read, they are asked to do something very complex:

• hear a sound

• remember it

• connect it to a letter

• blend it with other sounds

If the hearing part is weak, everything after that becomes harder.

That’s why children may:

• confuse similar sounds

• struggle to blend

• guess words instead of decoding

• feel frustrated very early

This is not because they are not trying.
It’s because their phonemic awareness is still developing.

What is phonemic awareness

(in simple words)?

Phonemic awareness is the ability to:

• hear sounds in words

• notice where sounds begin or end

• play with sounds without seeing letters

For example:

• hearing that cat has three sounds: /c/ /a/ /t/

• noticing that sun and sock start with the same sound

• clapping sounds in a word

• stretching a sound and saying it slowly

No letters are needed for this.

And that’s important.

Why HOP starts with sound play

At Hands-On Phonics (HOP), we don’t rush children into letters.

We start with sound play.

Because when children:

• move with sounds

• say sounds playfully

• repeat sounds in stories and games

they begin to own the sounds.

Later, when letters are introduced, the sounds already feel familiar.

That’s when reading starts to feel possible.

Sound play

is not “just play”

This is something many adults worry about.

“If my child is clapping, hopping, or playing with sounds, are they really learning?”

Yes. They are.

Sound play is:

• training the listening brain

• strengthening memory for sounds

• preparing children for blending later

It is real learning — even when no book is open.

What sound play looks like in HOP

In HOP sessions, sound play might look like:

• clapping each sound in a word

• hopping forward for each sound

• saying sounds like a robot

• listening to sounds inside a story

• repeating sounds through actions

These activities are short, active, and purposeful.

They help children hear clearly before they read.

A small step you

can take today

Before your child reads today, ask yourself:

“Did my child get a chance to hear, move with, and enjoy sounds?”

If yes, you are already supporting reading.

If not, that’s okay. You can start small.

A free sound-play resource from HOP

To support parents and teachers, we’ve created a short HOP Sound Play Activities guide.

It includes:

• 10 simple phonemic awareness activities

• no worksheets

• no special materials

• activities you can use at home or in class

You can use:

• one activity a day

• as a warm-up before stories

• or during playtime

👉 [Explore the HOP Sound Play Library here]
(Insert your actual link to the HOP library / PDF page)

Moving forward

Reading does not start with reading.

It starts with listening.

When children learn to hear sounds clearly,
everything that comes next becomes easier to understand.

At HOP, we’ll continue to build reading from the ground up —
starting with sound, movement, and meaning.

Hands-On Phonics (HOP)
Supporting children, parents, and teachers
in steady, child-friendly early reading journeys