Articles

Inspire a love of learning through phonics.

Whether you’re a teacher, family member, tutor, or childcare professional, you can have a positive impact on a child’s life. One of the most extraordinary gifts a child ever receives is the ability to read and write.

Although literacy doesn’t come naturally to humans, it’s an essential part of our everyday lives. Explicit, effective, and encouraging phonics instruction is vital to creating a more literate world.  Explore the trusted resources, articles, and reviews from phonics.org to instill a love of learning in someone you care about.

Phonics Resources for All

Learn how to become a phonics tutor with this guide on training, effective instruction, and starting your practice.

How to Become a Phonics Tutor

Are you passionate about helping children learn to read? Whether you’re a parent who...

Discover effective strategies for teaching silent letters and tricky word patterns to young readers.

Silent Letters and Tricky Words

Picture this: Your young reader is confidently sounding out words when they encounter “knife”...

Discover how movement enhances phonics learning, building stronger neural connections for reading skills.

The Connection Between Movement and Phonics Learning

When young children learn letter sounds through movement – jumping as they say /j/,...

Explore the science behind the bionic reading method and why it may hinder genuine reading development.

Bionic Reading: Y/N?

Tech + nature – sounds like the future, right?  In recent years, a new...

Discover how systematic phonics instruction can solve America's literacy crisis and improve reading skills.

Phonics and the Literacy Crisis: America’s Reading Challenge

The statistics are sobering: 66% of American fourth graders are failing to meet proficiency...

Discover how the ALL app empowers nonverbal learners with phonics, blending, and reading skills.

Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL) App Review

Empowering Nonverbal Learners with Phonics and Reading Skills Are you curious about other literacy...

Parental literacy directly affects a child’s academic performance. Learn more here.

How Adult Literacy Shapes Children’s Learning

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 43 million adults in the U.S....

Help your child master digraphs and trigraphs with fun, interactive activities to boost reading skills.

Digraphs and Trigraphs: A Parent’s Guide

Is your child starting to read words with letter combinations like ‘sh’ or ‘ch’?...

young girl on a video call with an English teacher for remote learning

How to Find a Phonics Tutor: Tips for Parents

Phonics is a major aspect of your child’s early education. It equips them with...

Sound Beginnings App Review

A Simple Approach to Phoneme Isolation Check out the other articles at phonics.org to...

Reading.com App Review

Reading.com App Review

A Unique, Research-Based Approach to Teaching Children to Read At phonics.org, we evaluate phonics programs designed for children—empowering you to make informed decisions about the most suitable apps for your…

Federal Focus on Evidence-Based Reading: What This Means for Your Child’s Education

Federal Focus on Evidence-Based Reading: What This Means for Your Child’s Education

In a historic shift that could transform how millions of American children learn to read, the U.S. Department of Education has announced that evidence-based literacy instruction will be a top…

Teaching Phonics to Children with Hearing Impairments

Teaching Phonics to Children with Hearing Impairments

When five-year-old Maya first entered kindergarten with her hearing aids, her teacher wondered how to help her learn phonics alongside her hearing peers. Like many educators and parents, she assumed…

Decodable Texts vs. Leveled Readers: Making the Right Choice for Your Child

Decodable Texts vs. Leveled Readers: Making the Right Choice for Your Child

Did you know that the books your child reads during their early learning years can make or break their reading success? Many parents assume all “beginning reader” books serve the…

Phonics Assessment Tools: How to Measure Reading Progress Effectively

Phonics Assessment Tools: How to Measure Reading Progress Effectively

The journey to reading proficiency isn’t linear—it’s filled with plateaus, leaps forward, and occasional steps back. This natural variability makes systematic assessment not just helpful but essential. When we regularly…

Phonics Games for the Classroom: 10 Teacher-Approved Activities

Phonics Games for the Classroom: 10 Teacher-Approved Activities

Learning to read shouldn’t feel like a chore. When children associate reading with enjoyment, they’re more likely to develop into lifelong readers who approach books with enthusiasm rather than dread.…

What is a Phoneme?

What is a Phoneme?

Have you ever wondered why your child can recognize the letter ‘B’ but struggles to connect it with the sound it makes? Or why sounding out words like “ship” and…

What is Inference? Helping Young Readers Become Critical Thinkers

What is Inference? Helping Young Readers Become Critical Thinkers

Your five-year-old is listening to you read “Little Red Riding Hood.” When the wolf appears dressed as Grandma, your child exclaims, “That’s not Grandma! It’s the wolf trying to trick…

What Are Graphic Novels? Connecting Visual Storytelling to Phonics Instruction

What Are Graphic Novels? Connecting Visual Storytelling to Phonics Instruction

Picture this: Your reluctant reader who struggles with phonics suddenly can’t put down a book. They’re engrossed, sounding out words, making predictions, and actually enjoying reading. What magical transformation has…

What Are Consonants?

What Are Consonants?

Have you ever watched your child sound out a simple word like “cat” or “jump”? Behind those moments of learning lies a fascinating linguistic structure that forms the backbone of…

Nursery Rhymes as Phonics Tools

Nursery Rhymes as Phonics Tools

Did you know that the nursery rhymes you loved as a child could be powerful reading tools? Those catchy, sometimes silly verses that have entertained children for generations are actually…