TapLearn

How can I help my child with phonics at home?

Quick answer

Find out which phonics programme your child's school uses and follow its order of sounds. Say the sounds "pure", without adding "uh", then practise blending sounds into words for reading and breaking words into sounds for spelling. A few minutes a day, with plenty of praise, is enough.

By the TapLearn team · Updated 23 October 2026 · Facts checked 23 October 2026 · For England

Start with your school's scheme

Schools in England teach early reading through systematic synthetic phonics, using a programme the school has chosen. Each programme teaches sounds in a set order, often with its own pictures, rhymes and actions. It helps your child if home matches school, so it's worth asking the teacher:

  • Which sounds has my child learned this week?
  • Is there a video showing how the school says the sounds?
  • Which tricky words are they practising?

Many schools run phonics sessions for Reception parents or share short videos. They're well worth a look, even if you learned to read a different way.

Say the sounds pure

The most common slip for parents is adding "uh" to the end of sounds: "muh", "suh", "tuh". That makes blending harder, because "suh-a-tuh" doesn't sound like "sat".

  • Stretch the sounds that can be stretched: "mmm", "sss", "fff", "lll".
  • Keep short sounds short and crisp: "t", "p", "k", with no "uh".
  • Use letter sounds rather than letter names when reading ("sss", not "ess"). Children learn letter names too, but those are for other jobs, such as alphabetical order.

Blending and segmenting

Blending is for reading. Your child says each sound in a word and pushes them together to hear the word: "c-a-t, cat". Start with three-sound words and say the sounds closer and closer together until the word pops out.

Segmenting is for spelling. Your child hears a word and breaks it into its sounds: "dog, d-o-g". Many children count the sounds on their fingers before writing them.

You can practise both out loud, with no books or screens. Try "robot talk" around the house: "Can you find your h-a-t?" or "Let's go to the sh-o-p." Then swap, and let your child give you robot instructions.

Sound buttons, digraphs and tricky words

You'll probably see some new terms in your child's book bag:

  • Sound buttons are dots and dashes under a word. A dot goes under a letter that makes a sound on its own; a dash goes under two or three letters that make one sound together. Your child touches each button as they say the sound, then blends.
  • A digraph is two letters making one sound, such as "sh", "ch", "ee" or "ai". A trigraph is three letters making one sound, such as "igh" or "air".
  • Tricky words (also called common exception words, or "heart words" in some schools) have a part that doesn't follow the phonics your child knows yet, such as "the", "said" or "was". Children learn the tricky part by heart and sound out the rest.

A few tricky words on cards make a quick game of snap or a word hunt in a favourite book.

Little and often

Five to ten minutes a day is plenty in Reception and Year 1. Stop while your child is still enjoying it. Go over sounds they know before adding new ones, and praise effort. If a sound keeps getting muddled, mention it to the teacher, who may already be working on it in class.

In June of Year 1, children take the phonics screening check: they read 40 words aloud to a teacher, including some made-up "alien" words. Everyday practice like this is the right preparation; there's no need for anything special. Our guide to the Year 1 phonics screening check explains how it works.

Phonics games on TapLearn

TapLearn's phonics games give short practice with letter sounds, blending, letter teams and tricky words. The skills report shows which sounds look secure and which ones your child still mixes up, which can be useful to share with the teacher.

Questions parents ask

What does "pure sounds" mean?

It means saying each letter sound without an extra "uh" on the end, so "m" is "mmm", not "muh". Pure sounds make it much easier for children to blend them into words.

Should I teach letter names or letter sounds first?

Follow your school. Phonics programmes start with letter sounds for reading, and children also learn the letter names, usually by Year 1, when the alphabet is taught.

What is the pass mark for the phonics check?

The threshold is set each year and published after the check. In 2026 it was 31 out of 40; the 2027 threshold is due to be published on 28 June 2027.

My child finds blending hard. What can I do?

Practise blending out loud, without letters: say the sounds of a short word and ask what it is. Start with words where the first sound can be stretched, like "mmm-a-p", and let the teacher know so school can support it too.

Sources

Related guides

Written by the TapLearn team for parents and carers in England. Schools teach in different orders and ways, so your child's teacher is always the best person to ask about your child. Spotted something out of date? Please email us at [email protected].