In literacy practices, how are sound features taught in Kindergarten?

The use of rhyming and sound manipulation in teaching sound features to Kindergarten students is highly effective due to its engagement with auditory skills critical for literacy development. This approach helps young learners recognize patterns in language, enhances phonological awareness, and fosters an early understanding of how sounds function in words.

Through rhyming, children develop their ability to listen for and produce similar sounds, which is foundational for later skills such as phonemic awareness, where they can identify and manipulate individual sounds. Sound manipulation activities, such as blending sounds or segmenting them, further deepen their understanding of sound structures in words, contributing significantly to their reading and writing skills.

While phonetic spelling, phonological awareness activities, and learning vocabulary through context are important aspects of literacy development, they do not emphasize the foundational auditory skills and playful engagement with sounds that rhyming and sound manipulation provide.