Phonics Skills
The strategies that build and reinforce decoding.
What Are Phonics Skills?
Phonics skills are the building blocks of decoding — connecting sounds to letters, blending them into words, and recognizing the patterns that make reading automatic.
These guides cover practical, classroom-tested strategies for building and reinforcing those skills, whether you're teaching them for the first time or shoring up gaps.
AI Storytelling Apps vs Structured Literacy
AI storytelling apps are becoming a regular presence on tablets in homes and classrooms. These are tools that generate and narrate original stories…
Read articleHow Much Phonics Instruction Does A Child Need Per Day?
Parents often wonder exactly how many minutes of phonics instruction their child needs each day, and it’s a fair question to ask. Too little…
Read articleAI Reading Apps for Dyslexia: What Works?
Search the app store for dyslexia, and you will find a wave of apps promising to help. Some are built on solid ground. Others offer little more than…
Read articleWhy Some Children Learn to Read Earlier Than Others
In any kindergarten classroom, one child is already reading chapter books while another is still working out that letters make sounds. Both can be…
Read articleCan You Combine Multiple Phonics Programs?
It happens in a lot of homes. The school sends one phonics program, you downloaded a reading app that everyone recommends, and a well-meaning…
Read articleHow AI Listening Technology Works in Reading Apps
Some reading apps do something that feels almost magical. Your child reads a sentence aloud, and the app instantly shows which words they nailed and…
Read articleThe Skills Children Need Before Formal Phonics Instruction
By the time a child sounds out their first word, most of the groundwork is already in place. Reading does not begin with letters on a page. It begins…
Read articleParents’ Guide to AI-Powered Reading Programs
Your child’s tablet can now do something that sounded like science fiction a few years ago. It can listen to them read aloud, catch the words they…
Read articleFrequently asked questions
Where should I start with phonics skills?
Start with the overview at the top, then use the topics list to jump to the area that matches your needs. Each topic links to a fuller guide.
Who are these phonics skills pages for?
Both parents and teachers. The guidance is practical and jargon-free, with classroom and at-home applications throughout.
How often is this guidance updated?
We review our phonics guidance regularly against current reading research, so recommendations stay evidence-based.
Related Sections
Phonics 101
Core concepts, sequencing, and the instructional foundations behind effective phonics teaching.
Explore Phonics 101 →
Struggling Readers
Intervention, dyslexia-informed support, multilingual considerations, and progress monitoring.
Explore Support →
Science of Reading
The research behind how children learn to read, and what it means for instruction.
Explore Research →