Phonological awareness can be thought of as a continuum, or a path. As the graphic below shows, children move along the continuum as they progress from a simple to a far more complex understanding of how language sounds and works. The steps are progressive for most, but not all children. Some children hop ahead to master complex skills, only to have to return to grasp some seemingly easier ones.
The base of the pyramid or foundation is an understanding of language in full sentences. Moving up the pyramid illustrates the progression of how children's understanding of language becomes more complex as they are able to identify and combine syllables, onsets and rimes, and phonemes. The interactive graphic below shows the connection between an understanding of language and skills like rhyming and alliteration, and shows the importance of listening in the development of all skills.
Click on any section of the interactive graphic below to see descriptions of the different parts of the Phonological Awareness Continuum.