Include a Mirror in Early Learners Phonics Lessons

My youngest daughter is four years old and learning her alphabet. When I teach her the alphabet I typically have her look at my mouth to see how the letter or word is pronounced.

However, using a mirror is really good to include in lessons. Using a mirror helps children see how their mouth moves when saying a word and learning their letters. One fun thing about using a mirror is a child can make “clouds”. This allows them to see the air coming out of their mouths when pronouncing certain letters like the letter “H”. When my daughter is practicing the letter “H”, I tell her to make clouds so that the proper amount of air is coming out of her mouth.

Other tips on helping children pronounces words correctly is having them feel the air with their hand coming out of their mouth. This too helps understand the proper pronunciation. Lastly, you can have your child feel their jaw go up and down while saying a word. This helps with annunciation.

What other tips do you have to help your children learn to speak?