From sounds to words
Blending is joining sounds together to read a word: c-a-t becomes cat. It sounds trivial to adults and feels like magic to five-year-olds, because it is the exact moment print turns into language.
How to model it
Say the sounds slowly and stretch them into each other: “caaat”. Use a finger to slide under the letters as you go. Keep the sounds pure - “cuh-ah-tuh” makes blending harder, not easier.
When it doesn't click
Go back one step: can your child hear that c-a-t is cat when you say the sounds? Oral blending comes before print blending. Practise it in the car, no book needed.
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