When a young child begins to read, two different approaches are possible. One is to show the child many whole words and ask them to remember what each one looks like. The other is to teach them the sounds that letters make, so they can work out new words on their own. This second approach is phonics, and it gives children a skill they can use for the rest of their lives.
What phonics means in practice
Phonics is the link between written letters and spoken sounds. The letter b makes one sound. The letters sh together make a different sound — the one at the start of "shop". Once a child learns these connections, they can look at a word they have never seen before and start to work it out.
A child who has only memorised "cat" knows one word. A child who can decode letter-sounds can sound out "cat" — and then, with very little extra teaching, read "bat", "hat", "can", and many more. That difference grows larger every year. By the time a child is reading chapter books, decoding skills matter far more than the size of a memorised word list.
Why it builds real confidence
Children who rely only on memorising whole words often reach a wall around age six or seven. There are simply too many words to hold in memory. When they meet an unfamiliar word, they may guess from the picture or the first letter, and sometimes they get it wrong. That pattern can quietly erode a child's confidence.
Phonics learners face the same unfamiliar word with a method. They slow down, say each sound, and blend them together. It does not always work perfectly at first, but they know what to do. Having a reliable method — not just hoping to recognise a word — is the foundation of genuine reading confidence.
How parents can help at home
You do not need to speak fluent English to support your child's phonics learning. A few simple habits make a real difference:
- Ask about sounds, not letter names. "What sound does 'sun' start with?" teaches more than "What letter is that?"
- When your child gets stuck on a word while reading aloud, encourage them to say each sound slowly before blending. Give them time before you step in.
- Play a sound-clapping game: say a short word together and clap once for each sound. "Dog" gets three claps.
- Read together every day, even for ten minutes. Hearing fluent reading alongside their own practice helps children connect sounds to meaning.
These habits, done regularly, reinforce what your child is learning in class and show them that reading matters to your family.
How we build phonics skills at SSELC
At SSELC, phonics is introduced early and built gradually, starting in our preschool programme. Children move from individual letter-sounds to blends and longer word patterns at a pace that matches their development. The aim is always the same: give every child a reliable way to approach new words, not just a list of words to remember.
To find out more about how we support early reading, visit our preschool programme page.