Phonics for Kids is a language programme aimed at children learning English as a foreign language - suitable for any age and level of English. The programme, currently held at various primary schools in Prague, is based on areas of English that have a paramount impact on one’s ability to learn a foreign language thoroughly (as well as one’s mother tongue) - phonics, spelling and reading (pronouncing), grammar and punctuation. Children are not restrained from practising and developing other areas of English, such as listening, speaking and using the language in real life situations, translating or learning vocabulary. They are taught to appreciate the language roots and principles to build up the language systematically and thoroughly.

Phonics is a teaching method used at primary schools within the English speaking world that enables children to understand why letters and words in English sound the way they do, make connections between the spoken language (sounds) and its written form (spelling) therefore make learning English a meaningful process. Initially, children learn the phonetic alphabet (based on letter sounds) and representing words (A for apple, C for cat, Y for yoghurt, J for jelly etc.). Once they master all sounds the 26 letters of the English alphabet make and practise the soft sh, ch and th sounds they naturally start to blend them together and decode simple words (ie. cat, chin, fish, block etc.). Then they progress onto the long vowel sounds (A as in name, rain or play, E as in see, sea or here, I as in like, tie, my or night, O as in home, soap, toe or grow, U as in cute, new, true or moon) and other vowel phonemes, clusters or more advanced structures. Teaching students how to spell and read goes hand in hand with teaching them both grammatical and punctuation concepts. As you may guess all of the above mentioned areas of English are comprehensively practised and given attention in our Phonics for Kids classes.

As mentioned above the Phonics for Kids programme can be implemented in EFL courses as well as courses for native speakers/bilingual children regardless their age or level of English. We currently run classes for preschoolers as well as primary school aged children in Prague 2, 3 and 9 at their home primary schools. We are not a language school therefore don’t offer our own venue. We prefer organising such classes in your child’s school and give children the opportunity to learn the English language together with their mates within their school day. The classes are generally organised as an afterschool activity at the particular school (according to the school’s schedule) but open to all children - not necessarily attending the school.