How to teach phonics at home

What do you need to teach phonics at home?

Very little. Most of the work is talk, a pencil and a short list of words. Here is a basic kit that costs under $20:

• A scope and sequence: the order you will teach the sounds and patterns. Any good phonics program or free list will do.
• Index cards with one letter or letter group on each, like m, a, sh or ee.
• A small whiteboard and marker, or paper and a pencil.
• Word lists for each pattern. Our phonics pages list words by the sound each spelling makes.
• A few decodable books that match the patterns you teach.
• A notebook or log to jot down what you taught and how it went.

You don't need apps, games or a wall of posters. They can be fun, but they don't replace a short lesson where your child reads and spells real words while you listen.

What is the show, help, try routine?

It is a three-step way to teach anything new, and it works well at a kitchen table. First you show the skill. Then you do it together. Then your child tries it alone while you watch. Teachers often call this "I do, we do, you do".

The "try" step matters most. If you stop after showing, you don't know if your child can do it. If they get two or three wrong in a row, go back to doing it together.

How do you introduce a new phonics pattern?

Use the same steps every time. Your child learns the routine, so their attention goes to the new pattern instead of to what comes next.

1. Say a word with the sound, and have your child repeat it. "Chin. What sound do you hear first?"
2. Show the spelling on a card. "This is how we write /ch/."
3. Read 6 to 8 words with the pattern together, then alone.
4. Mix in 2 or 3 words from earlier patterns so your child has to look carefully.
5. Dictate 3 words with the new pattern for your child to spell.
6. Read one or two sentences that use the pattern.

How do you practice spelling at home?

Use dictation. You say a word, your child says it back, says each sound, and writes a letter for each sound. Then they check it against your model. It takes three minutes and teaches more than copying a word five times.

If a word comes out wrong, don't erase it right away. Ask your child to read what they wrote. Often they spot the mistake themselves, which is the best kind of fix.

Which patterns come after short vowels?

Most phonics programs follow a similar path. The exact order varies, and that is fine. What matters is that each step builds on the one before.

How often should you review old patterns?

Every day, for about two minutes. Flip through the sound cards your child knows. Add a few old words to every new word list. A pattern taught a month ago and never seen again will fade.

Pay extra attention to patterns your child found hard the first time. Bring those back more often: two days later, a week later, then two weeks later. That kind of spaced review is how a shaky skill becomes a solid one.

What can you do with five spare minutes?

• Word chains. Change one letter at a time: cat, cap, map, mop, top. Your child reads each new word.
• Sound hunt. Pick a sound and find three things in the room that start with it.
• Silly sentences. Write a sentence using only taught patterns, like "The fish is in a big ship."
• Sort. Mix cards with two patterns, like short a and silent e words, and sort them into two piles.
• Speed round. Read 10 known words and see if it goes faster than yesterday.

Signs it is time to move on

Move to the next pattern when your child can read a list of words with the current pattern with one or two errors at most, spell three dictated words correctly, and read a short text without stopping on that pattern. If two of those three are true, give it two more days. If none are, stay put for another week.

Moving slowly early pays off later. A child who truly knows short vowels picks up silent e in days. A child who half knows them can stall on it for months.