When learning to read, children (no matter the age) need to be able to hear, notice, think about, and work with sounds in words. Developing strong competencies in phonological and phonemic awareness is key to getting a child reading and spelling.

Often when someone is struggling to read, they are missing key foundational skills and phonemic awareness is the first skill to consolidate and boost. It is one of the most important skills needed for becoming a successful reader and is often the missing foundational skill in an older struggling reader.