Phonics at home: a simple 10-minute routine

Start with what your child already knows

Phonics connects written letters with the sounds they represent. Children use these connections to read unfamiliar words by blending sounds, and to spell by identifying sounds and choosing letters to represent them.

Home practice is easiest when it follows the sequence used at school or in your child’s lessons. Ask which sounds and spelling patterns they are currently learning. You do not need a new pack of resources every week: a few letter cards, paper and an appropriate reading book are enough to begin.

The routine below is an example, rather than a timetable every child must follow. Keep the practice friendly and stop before frustration takes over.

Minutes 1–2: revisit familiar sounds

Show three or four letter cards your child has already learnt. Ask them to say the sound for each letter. Keep the order varied so they are recognising the letters rather than remembering a sequence.

For blending practice, use the sound rather than the letter name. Say a short, clean /t/ rather than “tuh”, for example. Adding an extra vowel sound can make it harder to blend the sounds into a word. Some sounds, such as /s/, can be stretched; others, such as /p/, are brief.

Minutes 3–5: blend a few words

Choose three or four words made from sounds your child knows. If they have learnt s, a, t, p, i and n, you might use sat, pin and tap.

If your child gets stuck, model the blending and invite them to try with you. Avoid asking them to guess from a picture or the first letter. A picture can support a conversation about meaning after the word has been read.

Minutes 6–7: turn reading into spelling

Say one of the words you have just read. Ask your child to repeat it and identify its sounds. They can move a counter for each sound, then choose letter cards or write the letters.

For pin, the sounds are /p/ /i/ /n/. Read the finished word together. Keep the spelling patterns familiar: English has several ways to represent some sounds, so a word that sounds simple is not always simple to spell.

Minutes 8–10: read and finish positively

Read a few sentences from a decodable book that matches your child’s current phonics knowledge. Encourage them to blend unfamiliar words, then reread the sentence to make sense of it. Briefly talk about what happened.

Finish by noticing a specific success: “You blended that word by yourself,” or “You remembered the sound for sh.” On another day, revisit the same words. Familiar practice is useful; every session does not need to introduce something new.

Keep shared stories in the picture

Phonics practice and reading aloud serve different purposes. Alongside decoding practice, read richer stories to your child, talk about characters and explain interesting words. They can enjoy and understand a story that they cannot yet read independently.

If a sound or pattern remains difficult, share a specific example with their teacher and agree on the next step. A calm, consistent approach is more helpful than extending a tiring session.

Explore the Maple Phonics courses for children and teenagers to see the age groups covered.

Common questions