This study assessed phonological awareness in kindergarten children and its relationship to later reading ability. Ten phonological awareness tasks were administered to 49 kindergarten children. The tasks varied in cognitive demands, with three rhyming tasks showing ceiling effects and not correlating with later reading progress. The other seven tasks were moderately related to reading ability and were strong predictors when used together. These tasks were as predictive as global cognitive measures like intelligence tests and reading readiness tests. Factor analysis revealed a single underlying factor among the nonrhyming tasks, indicating considerable comparability and interchangeability among them. The study found that phonological awareness tasks, particularly those involving initial and final consonants, were more predictive of reading ability than rhyming tasks. The seven nonrhyming tasks showed high intercorrelations and were more effective predictors of reading ability than standardized tests. Regression analyses confirmed that these tasks explained a significant portion of the variance in reading ability. The results support the construct validity of phonological awareness and suggest that these tasks are valuable for predictive testing. The study also highlights the importance of task comparability and the need for further research to clarify the relationships between different phonological tasks and reading ability. Overall, the findings indicate that phonological awareness is a critical factor in early reading acquisition.This study assessed phonological awareness in kindergarten children and its relationship to later reading ability. Ten phonological awareness tasks were administered to 49 kindergarten children. The tasks varied in cognitive demands, with three rhyming tasks showing ceiling effects and not correlating with later reading progress. The other seven tasks were moderately related to reading ability and were strong predictors when used together. These tasks were as predictive as global cognitive measures like intelligence tests and reading readiness tests. Factor analysis revealed a single underlying factor among the nonrhyming tasks, indicating considerable comparability and interchangeability among them. The study found that phonological awareness tasks, particularly those involving initial and final consonants, were more predictive of reading ability than rhyming tasks. The seven nonrhyming tasks showed high intercorrelations and were more effective predictors of reading ability than standardized tests. Regression analyses confirmed that these tasks explained a significant portion of the variance in reading ability. The results support the construct validity of phonological awareness and suggest that these tasks are valuable for predictive testing. The study also highlights the importance of task comparability and the need for further research to clarify the relationships between different phonological tasks and reading ability. Overall, the findings indicate that phonological awareness is a critical factor in early reading acquisition.