Many of us learnt to read by memorising the names of letters: ‘ay’, ‘bee’, ‘see’. Today most schools teach reading through phonics, which starts with the sounds letters make. Here is why it works.
Sounds before letter names
The word ‘cat’ is not made of ‘see’, ‘ay’ and ‘tee’. It is made of three sounds: /c/ /a/ /t/. When children learn the sound each letter makes, they can blend the sounds together to read a new word on their own.
How it is taught
- Children learn a few sounds at a time, often with a song or an action to help them remember.
- They practise blending sounds to read simple words, like s-a-t, sat.
- They practise breaking words into sounds to spell them.
- Slowly they move to longer words, sentences and short books.
How you can help at home
- When you point to a letter, say its sound, not its name.
- Play ‘I spy something beginning with /m/’ using sounds.
- Help your child blend: say c-a-p slowly and let them guess the word.
- Read together every day, even for ten minutes.
Be patient
Some children blend sounds quickly; others need more time and practice. Praise effort, keep it playful, and stop before your child gets tired.
At Happy Buds, reading begins with sounds in kindergarten and grows into a daily reading time all the way to Grade 5. Read about our curriculum.
