In the phonetic stage, what skill is primarily developed?

In the phonetic stage, the primary focus is on the development of basic letter recognition skills. This stage is characterized by children's understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds, enabling them to begin decoding words phonetically. As children learn to recognize individual letters and their corresponding sounds, they build a foundation for reading and writing.

This skill is crucial because it allows learners to construct words and understand how letters come together to form sounds, which is vital for early literacy. Mastering letter recognition is a stepping stone that supports further reading development, including blending sounds to read words and ultimately understanding more complex grammatical structures and creative writing techniques later on.