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

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...

When Should Kids Learn Phonics?

Every parent and educator wants the best outcome for their students. At the beginning...

Most Popular Home Phonics Programs for Kids

Phonics instruction sets the stage for your child to thrive as a reader and...

5 Findings That Prove Words Are Remembered in Phonological Memory

To read fluently, the brain pulls from a large sight word vocabulary that we’ve...

children learning basic concepts in language

Basic Concepts in Language Development 

In language development, basic concepts are words that set the foundation for children’s learning....

Phonics Plateau: Why Some Students Stop Progressing

Phonics Plateau: Why Some Students Stop Progressing

Your child was making steady progress. Each week brought new letter sounds, longer words, and growing confidence. Then suddenly, nothing. The forward momentum stopped. Your once-enthusiastic reader now struggles with…

Can Word Games Like Bookworm Support Literacy Development?

Can Word Games Like Bookworm Support Literacy Development?

Your child loves playing Bookworm on your tablet. They’re making long words and racking up points. You’re wondering: Is this actually helping them learn to read? It’s a fair question.…

Reading Mastery vs. Saxon Phonics: Which Delivers Better Results?

Reading Mastery vs. Saxon Phonics: Which Delivers Better Results?

Imagine two classrooms down the hall from each other. Same grade level, similar student demographics, but strikingly different reading outcomes by mid-year. The difference? The phonics program that each teacher…

Phonics and Speech Delays: When Articulation Affects Decoding

Phonics and Speech Delays: When Articulation Affects Decoding

When your child mispronounces words during conversation, you might think it’s adorable—and it often is! But what happens when those same articulation challenges show up during reading lessons? Many parents…

ChatGPT for Phonics: Why AI Can’t Replace Systematic Instruction

ChatGPT for Phonics: Why AI Can’t Replace Systematic Instruction

A frustrated parent sits at the kitchen table with their struggling six-year-old, laptop open to ChatGPT. “Can you help my child learn to read?” they type. Within seconds, the AI…

Why Some Reading Programs Are Abandoning Phonics (And Why That’s Wrong)

Why Some Reading Programs Are Abandoning Phonics (And Why That’s Wrong)

Walk into some elementary school classrooms today and you’ll witness a troubling trend. Teachers are putting away phonics workbooks. Reading programs are promoting “authentic literature experiences” over systematic letter-sound instruction. …

Debunking ‘Natural Reading’: Why Phonics Isn’t Optional

Debunking ‘Natural Reading’: Why Phonics Isn’t Optional

A well-meaning parent watches their 4-year-old “read” their favorite bedtime story word-for-word, flipping pages at just the right moments. The child has memorized every line perfectly, leading the parent to…

The 2025 National Reading Panel Update: What’s Changed in Phonics Research?

The 2025 National Reading Panel Update: What’s Changed in Phonics Research?

Has our understanding of phonics instruction changed since the landmark National Reading Panel Report of 2000? What does the latest research tell us about the most effective ways to teach…

Phonics on a Budget: Free and Low-Cost Resources

Phonics on a Budget: Free and Low-Cost Resources

You want to give your child the best start in reading, but phonics programs can cost hundreds of dollars. The good news? Some of the most effective phonics support doesn’t…

Back to School: Preschool Book Ideas

Back to School: Preschool Book Ideas

Starting preschool is a huge milestone for your little one! One day, they’re home with you, and the next, they’re walking into a classroom full of new friends and adventures.…