Back to School 2012

This time Summer vacations was changed and instead of June/July it was moved to July/August due to Ramadan in the month of August.

Now as Eid is just around the corner, holidays are about to come to an end too and parents' nightmares start again specially parents of pre-schoolers as kids will start crying all over again like they did the first day.

I will not be giving any advise  on what parents should do that their kids don't cry because this is a very normal routine and parents should not worry about it . Handle the situation like the way you did on your child's first day of school.

Image from Clipartof.com

What you can do as of now is, start talking to your child about school and their teacher. Tell them that their teacher is waiting to give them starts.

Take them with you when shopping for their school items like bags, pencils, scales, eraser etc.

Ask them to prepare their bags themselves , with you guiding them.

Check their homework and revise.

Ask them to check whether their uniform is still in best condition and make them polish their shoes.

The above are simple things you can do with your child that will strengthen your bond and at the same time boost up their excitement to be back to school.

Do share some of your tips too. Remember , send your child to school a smile. 

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Learning the correct Phonic Sound

Learning the correct Phonic Sound

In my nine years experience as a Montessori Directress, the major problem I faced while handling kids of age 2.5- 6 years is the phonic sound. We introduce the alphabets using its sounds at the very initial stage and parents at home teach the “name” of alphabets which results to great confusion for the children.

Parents, this is a serious problem which you should consider when your child starts going to school. First of all, you should be aware of what system does your child’s school follow. Most of the schools in Pakistan follow the phonic system in introducing the alphabets so it’s always good for parents to learn the phonic sounds themselves as it would be easier for you to help your child with his homework and not confusing him. Always keep track of their syllabus and you should know when they are introducing the names of alphabets.

Have a look at the table below for better understanding between phonic sounds (alphabet sounds) and alphabet names:

Alphabet	Name	Sound
A	ay	‘a’ as in apple
B	bee	‘bu’ as in ball
C	see	‘kha’ as in cat
D	dee	‘du’ as in dog
E	ee	‘eh’ as in elephant
F	eff	‘fff’ as in fish
G	jee	‘gu’ as in goat
H	ech	‘hhhhh’ as in house
I	ai	‘ee’ as in igloo
J	jay	‘ju’ as in jug
K	kay	‘ku’ as in kitten
L	el	‘lll’ as in ladder
M	em	‘mmm’ as in monkey
N	en	‘nnn’ as in nest
O	ow	‘oa’ as in orange
P	pi	‘pu’ as in pencil
Q	kyu	‘qua’ as in quilt
R	arr	‘rrr’ as in rat
S	ess	‘sss’ as in sun
T	tee	‘tu’ as in tent
U	yuu	‘uhh’ as in umbrella
V	vee	‘vu’ as in van
W	doubleyu	‘wu’as in watch
X	ex	‘x’ as in x-ray
Y	wai	‘ya’ as in yo-yo
Z	zee	‘zzz’ as in zebra

Note that, Uttering the names of any object repeatedly will help you learn its first sound more. The alphabet ‘X’ has no sound but x itself. While learning, make a list of different words which begins with the sound you are learning and read them aloud repeatedly. e.g apple, axe, ant etc When the alphabet is in capital, you are supposed to just say its name but when it is in small letter, it means you have to say its sound, since small letters represents the sounds of the capital letters.

Also, I plan to add the audio clip for each sound, so - stay tuned! (0:

Remember: Practice makes man perfect.

Advice: Introduce these sounds when your child starts speaking since phonic sounds will help your child read.

In this blog, I’ve tried my best to help parents and teachers proper sounds of the alphabets. This is a genuine effort to help you teach your kids or even learn what you haven’t learnt in your school life. Who knows, you will also improve your reading.

Best of Luck!

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