What skill is essential for children to be able to read proficiently?

Phonological awareness is fundamental for proficient reading because it involves the ability to recognize and manipulate the sound structures of spoken language. This skill encompasses various aspects such as identifying sounds in words, recognizing rhymes, and understanding syllables. Children with strong phonological awareness can break words down into individual sounds, which is crucial for decoding when they encounter new words while reading.

Developing phonological awareness helps children understand the relationship between sounds and letters, facilitating the process of phonics, which is the foundation for reading instruction. By mastering this skill, children become more capable of sounding out words and can progress to more complex reading tasks, ultimately enhancing their reading fluency and comprehension.

In comparison, while other skills such as morpheme understanding, onset and rime, and oral language proficiency are important aspects of literacy development, phonological awareness serves as a critical building block that directly impacts a child's ability to decode, spell, and understand written language.