What typically marks the beginning of the skill development stage in children?

The beginning of the skill development stage in children is typically marked by cracking the phonetic code. This process involves children understanding that letters represent specific sounds, which is fundamental to their literacy development. When children crack the phonetic code, they start to connect the sounds they hear with the written symbols that represent those sounds. This understanding is crucial as it forms the foundation for reading and writing, allowing them to begin decoding words more independently.

While phonemic awareness and phonetic spelling are important components of literacy, they often build upon the initial ability to crack the phonetic code. Gaining phonemic awareness is a precursor to phonetic decoding but does not alone signify the full development that comes with understanding how written language works. Similarly, writing complex sentences is a more advanced skill that typically occurs after a child has already developed basic decoding and encoding skills.