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

mom and her 3 year old playing educational game

Phonics for 3-Year-Olds

Parents play one of the most significant roles in a child’s early literacy development....

Phonics.org: The Ultimate List of Phonics App Reviews 

The Phonics.org team is dedicated to helping parents and teachers navigate the many different...

young girl writing with a crayon

When Do Children Start Writing Sentences?

Learning how to write is a gradual process for children. If you’re a parent...

Basic Transcription Skills in Spelling and Writing

Transcription skills are a big part of a child’s journey into literacy, playing a...

child reading with headphones on a tablet

Top 5 Reading Apps for Kids

With so many educational apps available, it can be tricky to figure out which...

young girl with curly hair holding a pencil learning to write

When Can Kids Write Their Name?

If you’re a parent, you likely anticipate your child’s developmental milestones with awe and...

How Does Oral Language Support Children’s Writing? 

How Does Oral Language Support Children’s Writing?  KW: how does oral language support children’s...

How to Help Preschoolers Develop Pre-Writing Skills 

How to Help Preschoolers Develop Pre-Writing Skills  KW: how can you help preschool children...

Simple 10-Minute Phonics Lessons for Busy Parents

If your child is learning phonics, you might be wondering how to help them...

phonics for teaching English language learners

Phonics for EAL: Instruction Methods

As one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world, English continues to be...

15-Minute Phonics: Maximum Impact Reading Practice for Busy Families

15-Minute Phonics: Maximum Impact Reading Practice for Busy Families

Between soccer practice, dinner prep, and bedtime routines, finding time for phonics practice can feel impossible. Busy families need realistic routines that stick. Fifteen-minute commitments feel manageable rather than overwhelming,…

8 Tips to Prevent Summer Reading Loss

8 Tips to Prevent Summer Reading Loss

The last day of school arrives with excitement and relief, but lurking beneath the summer fun is a concern that keeps many parents awake at night: Will my child forget…

ADHD and Phonics: How to Maintain Focus During Reading Instruction

ADHD and Phonics: How to Maintain Focus During Reading Instruction

Your energetic six-year-old sits down for phonics practice, excited to learn new letter sounds. Within minutes, they’re fidgeting, looking around the room, and asking about the dog next door. If…

Phonics Catch-Up: Helping Older Elementary Students Fill the Gaps

Phonics Catch-Up: Helping Older Elementary Students Fill the Gaps

When nine-year-old Marcus sits down with his fourth-grade chapter book, he looks confident and ready. But after just a few sentences, frustration creeps across his face. He’s stumbling over words…

Third Grade Reading Crisis: Why This Year Makes or Breaks Literacy

Third Grade Reading Crisis: Why This Year Makes or Breaks Literacy

A classroom full of third graders opens their science textbooks, ready to learn about butterflies and volcanoes. But for many eight-year-olds, the words might as well be written in a…

Phonics for Preschoolers: What’s Too Early vs. Just Right?

Phonics for Preschoolers: What’s Too Early vs. Just Right?

Your three-year-old walks up to you holding a book, points to the letter ‘M’, and declares, “That’s my letter!” Your heart swells with pride, but then doubt creeps in. Should…

When Phonics Progress Stalls: Troubleshooting Common Roadblocks

When Phonics Progress Stalls: Troubleshooting Common Roadblocks

Your five-year-old was excitedly sounding out simple words just last month, proudly reading “cat” and “dog” with confidence. But suddenly, they’re stuck. New words feel impossible, tears come easily during…

Phonological Awareness vs. Phonics

Phonological Awareness vs. Phonics

Did you know that before children can successfully crack the reading code, they must first develop the ability to hear and manipulate the invisible sounds that make up spoken words?…

Can Worksheets Teach Phonics?

Can Worksheets Teach Phonics?

Your child sits at the kitchen table, pencil in hand, dutifully filling in letters on a phonics worksheet while you prepare dinner nearby. They seem focused and productive, and you…

Phonics and Executive Function

Phonics and Executive Function

Here’s something that might surprise you: when your child sits down to sound out the word “cat,” their brain is performing an intricate dance that involves far more than just…