For Parents

Help your child strengthen their literacy skills at any stage of development.

Your family plays a big role in helping your child learn to read and write. With the right phonics activities at home, you can support your child’s literacy development and academic success. The more you understand how and why phonics instruction works, the better you can facilitate effective and meaningful learning experiences with your family. 

To help your child practice phonics at home, read our insights for parents below! You can also browse our phonics program reviews for more.

Phonics Education for Families

Making Phonics Stick: Help Kids Learn Essential Literacy Skills 

Sometimes, it seems like no matter how much you practice with your child or...

fun phonics games for kids

Fun Phonics Games for Kids: Activities to Try at Home 

Kids need to master basic phonics skills before they can become proficient readers. While...

learn to reach decoding in reading for kids

Methods of Effective Decoding in Reading

When children are learning to read, they must be taught how to “sound out”...

what is phonics?

What is Phonics? An Introduction for Parents and Educators

Anyone who can read and write in an alphabetical language has mastered an important...

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…

Vocabulary Development: How Phonics Builds Word Knowledge in Early Readers

Vocabulary Development: How Phonics Builds Word Knowledge in Early Readers

The excited squeal of “I know that word!” from your child during storytime. The confident way they incorporate a newly learned term into dinner conversation. The pride in their eyes…

The Ultimate Master List of Phonics Books: Organized by Reading Skills

The Ultimate Master List of Phonics Books: Organized by Reading Skills

Picture this: Your child’s eyes light up as they successfully sound out a word in their favorite storybook. That magical “I did it!” moment happens not because they memorized flashcards,…

Speech Sound Development Chart: What Parents Need to Know

Speech Sound Development Chart: What Parents Need to Know

Learning to speak is one of the most remarkable feats of early childhood. As parents, those first babbles and words are magical moments we treasure forever. But did you know…

The Wonderful World of Nonsense: Using Jabberwocky to Boost Early Reading Skills

The Wonderful World of Nonsense: Using Jabberwocky to Boost Early Reading Skills

The strange creatures and bizarre vocabulary of The Jabberwocky offer more than just giggles—they provide a unique opportunity to strengthen your child’s phonics abilities. There’s something magical about the way…

Silent E Words Help Your Child Master Long Vowel Sounds

Silent E Words Help Your Child Master Long Vowel Sounds

Learning to read involves many small steps that build upon each other. Among these important building blocks is understanding the silent e rule – one of the first “tricky” phonics…

Scope and Sequence for Early Reading: Your Guide to Phonics Instruction

Scope and Sequence for Early Reading: Your Guide to Phonics Instruction

Did you know that there’s a scientific roadmap for teaching children to read? Many parents feel lost when their child struggles with reading, not realizing that following a systematic, explicit…

Short Vowel Sounds: A Parent’s Guide

Short Vowel Sounds: A Parent’s Guide

A child’s literacy journey begins with learning the fundamental building blocks of reading, and short vowel sounds are among the most critical first steps. As a parent, understanding these sounds…

What to Do When Reading Skills Regress

What to Do When Reading Skills Regress

Has your child suddenly started struggling with words they used to read with ease? Are they showing less interest in books they once loved? You might be witnessing what educators…