Learning to read does not happen all at once. It happens one small step at a time.
Here are the seven steps that take a child from "that is a letter" to "I read it myself", and what you can do at home at each one.
1. 🔤 Letter Recognition
Children first need to recognize uppercase and lowercase letters.
A a • B b • C c
The goal is for letter recognition to become automatic. Your child should not have to sing the whole alphabet to work out which letter they are looking at. Our Alphabet Flash Cards and Poster set gives you every letter in both forms, ready to print and practise a few minutes a day.
2. 👂 Learn The Letter Sounds
Next, children learn that letters represent sounds.
A, Apple, "ahhh" • B, Ball, "buh"
Practise a little every day until your child can see a letter and remember its sound straight away. Each card in the flash card set pairs the letter with a picture and the sound it makes, so your child can see it, hear it and say it in one go.
3. 🧩 Blend The Sounds
Now we start putting those sounds together.
C • A • T
Say each sound slowly, then slide them together: C-A-T becomes CAT. 🐱
This is an exciting moment. Your child is beginning to read words.
4. 📖 Decode Simple Words
Once children can blend sounds, they can begin decoding unfamiliar words instead of simply memorizing them.
Start with easy words such as cat, dog, map, sun and pig. Our activity workbooks give your child pages of tracing, matching and cut and paste practice for one letter at a time, so the sounds have somewhere to go.
5. ⭐ Learn High-Frequency Words
Some words appear again and again in children's books. Words such as the, I, is, my and you.
Learning these by sight helps beginning readers get through a simple sentence without stopping at every word.
6. 📚 Read Simple Books
Now it is time to put those new skills to work.
Choose simple books that give your child chances to practise the letters, sounds and word patterns they already know. Our story books are written for exactly this stage, with short lines, gentle repetition and a story worth finishing. Keep reading sessions short, positive and fun.
7. ❤️ Build Fluency And Comprehension
As reading becomes easier, children begin reading more smoothly. But remember: reading is not just saying the words.
Talk about the story. Ask questions. Make predictions. Have your child tell you what happened. We want children to read it and understand it.
🌈 One Step At A Time
Do not rush. Do not compare. And do not worry if your child needs plenty of repetition.
Celebrate every letter learned, every sound remembered and every new word read.
Recognize → Sound → Blend → Decode → Practice → Read → Understand. That is how little readers grow. ❤️
Browse the full Adventures of Scuba Jack collection and find the books, flash cards and workbooks for the step your child is on right now.
Have fun!
Beth
