Homeschooling Literacy: Reading Development Through Phonemic Awareness

ByHomeschool OT

Homeschool parents do much more than choose a reading curriculum. We sit beside our children during lessons. We notice when a skill clicks and when it doesn’t. We watch for signs of frustration, celebrate small victories, and adjust our approach when something is not working.

When reading feels harder than expected, many parents find themselves wrestling with two questions: Should I push through, or should I back off? How do I accept where my child is today while still expecting growth tomorrow?

Those questions were at the heart of my recent conversation with literacy expert Melanie Jeffrey. We discussed the early building blocks of reading, the signs that a child may need additional support, and the unique advantage homeschool parents have when it comes to recognizing potential struggles.

As an occupational therapist, one of the things I appreciate most about homeschooling is that parents have the opportunity to observe their children in a variety of settings. We see them learn through play, conversation, read alouds, and formal lessons. While we may not always know exactly what a struggle means, we are often the first to notice when something is not quite clicking. That observation is valuable. In fact, it may be one of the greatest strengths of homeschooling.

Phonemic Awareness and Sound Processing

One of the first building blocks of reading is phonemic awareness, or the ability to hear and work with individual sounds in spoken words before letters are introduced.

As Melanie Jeffrey explained, “There are 44 sounds in the English language. We have 26 letters, but various combinations of those letters represent all 44 of those sounds. Phonics is simply matching sounds to symbols.”

In other words, reading begins with listening.

Research shows that strong phonemic awareness is one of the best predictors of later reading success. From an occupational therapy perspective, children must be able to hear differences between sounds, hold them in working memory, and blend them together. When these skills are difficult, reading often requires much more effort.

The good news is that parents can observe these skills long before formal reading instruction begins through everyday conversations, rhymes, songs, and word play.

Why Early Play and Oral Practice Matter

The good news is that phonemic awareness can be practiced through simple, playful activities long before formal reading instruction begins. Melanie Jeffrey shared examples such as blending sounds while driving in the car, making up silly nonsense words, or playing games with sounds like “CH,” “TH,” and “SH.”

What I love about this example as an occupational therapist is that it recognizes that learning is not just happening in one part of the brain. The child is listening to the sound, seeing the letters, manipulating the game pieces, taking turns, paying attention, and engaging socially. Multiple systems are working together to support learning.

Notice that none of these activities require a workbook, curriculum, or even a pencil. They begin with listening. This approach mirrors what we often recommend in occupational therapy: build foundational skills first, then layer on more complex tasks. When learning feels playful and manageable, children are more likely to stay engaged and develop confidence along the way. If a child can identify a sound during a lesson but struggles to recognize it during a game or while reading, that is valuable information. Rather than pushing harder, it may be a sign to slow down, provide more opportunities for practice, and strengthen the foundation before moving on.


Emphasizing Development Over Quick Fixes

As Melanie Jeffrey notes, children may need longer to master certain sounds or sound combinations, especially if auditory processing or articulation is a challenge. Occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists can help with targeted strategies. Homeschool parents can use informal checks, short spelling quizzes, guided games, and curriculum scope and sequence guides, not as gatekeeping tools but as opportunities to better understand how their child learns.

The goal is not finding the perfect curriculum or a quick fix. The goal is understanding what your child can do today and identifying the next step that will help them grow. Progress may look slow, uneven, or playful rather than formal. That does not mean learning is not happening.

In many ways, this is the heart of both occupational therapy and homeschooling: observing carefully, responding thoughtfully, and trusting that growth happens one skill at a time.

OT is IN #96: Supporting Struggling Readers: Tips for Homeschooling Parents

In this episode you’ll hear about:

  • Melanie Jeffrey’s background
  • Host of “Phonics Tools for Kids” podcast
  • Experience as a core literacy classroom teacher specializing in phonics (ages 4-9, K-3)
  • Personal Experience with Children’s Reading
  • Sarah asks about Melanie Jeffrey’s own children and reading challenges
  • Why Phonics as a Starting Approach?
  • The importance of phonics for reading development
  • Language acquisition as a foundation
  • 44 sounds in English vs. 26 letters in the alphabet
  • Phonics as matching sounds to symbols (graphemes)
  • Emphasis on oral language and sound awareness as the initial step
  • Early Red Flags and Indicators of Reading Struggles
  • Auditory processing as an early warning sign
  • Oral segmentation exercises as indicators
  • Noting mistakes with word order (e.g., “cats” vs. “cast”)
  • Use of Nonsense Words for Phonemic Awareness
  • Value of using real and nonsense words to practice sound manipulation
  • Timeline for early phonemic awareness activities (ages 3-5)
  • When to consider seeking help if articulation of sounds remains a struggle
  • Role of occupational therapists (Sarah and speech therapists in early intervention
  • Personal Anecdotes on Reading and Auditory Processing
  • Homeschooling Advantages in Early Identification
  • The benefit of close, one-to-one learning relationships in homeschool settings
  • Parents’ role in identifying struggles and noticing extra effort or persistent confusion
  • Advantage of parental intuition and observation in recognizing when outside help may be needed
  • Benchmarks, Indicators, and Assessment Tools
  • Using scope and sequence in phonics curriculum as a guide
  • Learning Through Play and Application
  • Engagement and Curriculum Fit
  • Evaluating whether reading struggles stem from the child or the curriculum
  • When and How to Start Formal Phonics Instruction

Links and Resources From Today’s Show

Thank you to our title sponsor for this episode, CTC Math. You can check out their FREE trial here.

Connect With Our Guest, Melanie Jeffrey

Melanie is a phonics fanatic, host of the PHONICS RULES FOR KIDS podcast. As an experienced core literacy classroom teacher, formally trained in phonics instruction for children ages 4-9 (K-3), she has taught hundreds of children to read using phonics as the foundation. Melanie helps moms confidently model simple phonics skills at home to teach their beginning readers in K-2, and struggling readers in 3rd-5th grade. She believes moms are fully capable of learning simple phonics skills they can put on ‘rinse and repeat’ to streamline phonics lessons at home, even when they’re not trained as a teacher. Melanie is wife to Bill, mom of an 18, 19 and 20-year old! Yes, her children were born so close, that she was often asked in the grocery store if the youngest two were twins! Melanie gets excited when kids can quickly apply phonics concepts to read with greater fluency! As a mom who shares your values, she wants to help you teach your kiddo to read with confidence!

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