What skill should kindergarten children demonstrate to show readiness for decoding simple words?

To demonstrate readiness for decoding simple words, kindergarten children should consistently identify letter-sound correspondences for high-utility letters. This skill is foundational in the reading process, as it allows children to map letters to their corresponding sounds, which is essential for decoding words. When students can recognize that the letter "b" makes the /b/ sound or that "a" represents the /a/ sound, they can begin to blend these sounds together to read simple words like "bat" or "cat."

Developing this understanding is crucial because decoding involves the ability to sound out individual letters and then blend those sounds into a cohesive word. Without a strong grasp of letter-sound relationships, children may struggle to decode even the simplest words, hindering their reading development.

Other options, while important, do not directly focus on the specific skill of decoding. For example, orally blending spoken sounds together is a valuable skill but tends to focus more on phonemic awareness rather than direct letter-sound correspondence. Reading simple sentences aloud and writing complete sentences are skills that indicate a more advanced level of reading and writing proficiency and are developed later as decoding skills take root.