What is phonics? A parent's 5-minute primer

Letters stand for sounds

English writing is a code: letters and letter groups stand for the sounds we say. Phonics teaches children to crack that code deliberately, instead of hoping they absorb it. When Asha sees the word cat, she doesn't memorise its shape — she says three sounds, c-a-t, and pushes them together.

Why it beats guessing

Children taught to guess from pictures or first letters plateau quickly. Children taught to decode can read words they have never seen. Decades of reading research agree on this, which is why structured phonics sits at the heart of every strong early-reading programme.

What you can do today

Say sounds, not letter names: “mmm”, not “em”. Play with rhymes. Point at short words and sound them out together. Ten relaxed minutes a day beats an hour of Sunday struggle.