Little Genius Academy

  The English language has all speech sounds divided into two: voiced and unvoiced sounds. For children to hone their reading and spelling skills, it is imperative to understand the difference between voiced and unvoiced digraphs. Of all digraphs, /th/ is the most notorious. Therefore, it is often the last sound children should be introduced to. Understanding the subtle yet critical difference in tongue placement for unvoiced /th/ and voiced “th” can significantly improve your child’s speaking skills and listening comprehension. 1. The Unvoiced /th/ (Air Only) You use only air when pronouncing the unvoiced /th/. It does not generate vibration in the throat. This sound applies to words that begin or end with /th/. Most of these words tend to be nouns, verbs and adjectives. How to help children practice this sound: Ask your child to gently place their hand on the front of their throat. Have them say words such as thick, think, tooth, bath and athlete. They should feel no vibration on...

  Phonics education is not a traditional classroom idea that should be confined to textual knowledge. It requires building phonemic awareness, understanding letter-sound relationships, and knowing how they can be manipulated to form different words and read or spell them correctly. In this blog, we guide you through four simple steps to assist your child with phonics learning. Four Friendly Steps to Help Kids Connect Sounds and Letters Introduce Letter Sound Relationships Begin with the easiest sounds, such as vowel sounds: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/ and /u/, and consonants like /s/, /t/, /p/, /n/ and /m/. Focus on one letter at a time — a for apple, a for airplane, a for April, etc. You can use flashcards or objects to assist children in linking letters to corresponding sounds. For instance, showing them the fruit or picture of an airplane is an effective way to teach them the letter a. Build Phonemic Awareness Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to hear, identify and play with uniqu...

  Today, the most important asset to possess is information. We are living in a world where technologies are changing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly. In this ever changing world, it is important for children to have skills or a mindset, for that matter, that help them compete and succeed. Let us explore the skills children must master to be able to adapt to constant changes in and around them. What Are Those Five Essential Skills? Becoming the One Who Questions Only a child who asks “Why sky is blue” can gain a deeper understanding of how light travels and interacts with Earth’s atmosphere. The idea is that those who run after questions and seek their answers tend to win more in academic and work life. With this approach, they can actually make better use of tools like ChatGPT. They learn more by challenging the tool’s responses, asking “why” or “how” as follow ups. However, it is also important to teach them to cross-check facts from multiple sources before b...

  Reading is one of the most important life skills. It helps children thrive at every stage of their lives. In school and college, this skill helps excel in academics, while in the professional world in applying knowledge. So, what are the basic components of preschool reading? These are careful listening, phonological awareness, story recall, and understanding how books work. Parents' role is really important in shaping the reading skills of their preschool children. They can guide kids at home by reading stories. Six Components of Preschool Reading Listening Listening is important for a developing child. It can prove to be a game changer for preschool children. Instructions and interactions at school can help kids become more attentive. As a parent, you can follow the same tactics at home. Read them bedtime stories to improve their ability to listen attentively. Responsiveness It is important to choose age-appropriate storybooks. When a character, from a storybook or cartoon or m...

  Every parent wants their child to excel in academics and later, professionally. But only a few parents understand and focus on the overall development of their children by introducing them to skills that go beyond academics. Children are like empty vessels. It is the responsibility of parents and teachers to fill these vessels with essential knowledge and life skills. Want your kids to take an interest in cooking? Start involving them in kitchen activities with you. In this blog, we talk about five life skills that every child should be introduced to. If not all, they should at least learn one of these five skills and try to excel at it. Five Life Skills to Introduce to Your Children Learn to Play a Musical Instrument It is said that engaging with a musical instrument or rather playing music is the brain’s equivalent of a full-body workout. When you play a musical instrument, all areas of your brain - visual, auditory, and motor cortices — engage while processing different inform...

  Self-management skills are essential to develop in children, as these skills will help discipline themselves and focus on what really matters for academic success, good intra- and inter-personal relationships, healthy lifestyle, and achieving long term goals. However, children do not learn these skills on their own. But as responsible parents or teachers (in school settings), you can begin to introduce management skills for kids into their routine without turning it into a formal learning exercise. During the formative years, it is easier to mold kids and help them develop management skills. What is Self-Management? In one line, self-management is all about becoming self-aware and managing your emotions, which indirectly helps manage your behaviour and actions. Let’s break them in two areas: Managing emotions: This involves developing the ability to handle emotions and thoughts in various situations. It starts with recognizing and identifying your emotions - why you feel certai...

  Phonics, by definition, is a teaching method that emphasizes understanding the relationship between letters and their corresponding sounds. This approach helps learners with letter-sound recognition, correct spelling and pronunciation, and improved reading comprehension, all of which build the foundation for impeccable writing and speaking skills. In this blog, we go through five ways of teaching phonics. Five Proven Learning Methods to Master Phonics Synthetic Phonics Synthetic phonics instruction is explicit. This approach focuses on helping children become aware of the distinct sounds that make up a word. Kids are introduced to concepts such as blending sounds to form words and pronounce them correctly. As a result, they learn to identify the letters that represent those sounds effectively. For example, s + a + t makes up the word - sat - which is represented by the letters s-a-t . Analytic Phonics Analytic phonics instruction, on the other hand, teaches the opposite of what ...