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How can I help my child with phonics? Information and support for parents/carers

No doubt you want your child to become a successful reader and writer and you have a key role to play in them achieving this. Did you know that you can help your child to make an additional 4-5 months of progress in one year through providing high quality home learning. You can read more about the research here.

Phonics teaching has changed significantly from when you were at school and you may feel you don't fully understand the current approach. That can make it very difficult to know how you can best help your child with phonics, early reading and writing at home.

You child’s school will probably provide you with some key information, but as a former infant teacher with over 25 years classroom experience, I’m very aware that schools simply don’t have the time to explain everything you may want/need to know.

This section of my website is designed to help you further your understanding of how your child is being taught to read and write at school using phonics, so you can feel more confident in knowing how to help them to become a successful reader and writer.

What is Synthetic Phonics?

The National Curriculum requires schools to teach children synthetic phonics.

Develop your own understanding of what synthetic phonics is, how your child is taught to break words into their sounds for spelling, and how to sound words out when reading.

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What is Synthetic Phonics?

Develop your own understanding of what synthetic phonics is, the core vocabulary that is taught, how your child will learn to break words into their sounds for spelling and sound words out when reading.

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Phonics activities to use with your child at home

Silly sentence cube game

Find links to activities you can use with your child to help them develop key phonics, reading and spelling skills. They are a mixture of videos, online games and downloadable resources.

There is a guide to which activities may be appropriate at different times of the year in nursery, reception, Y1 and Y2, although some children will progress at different rates.

Find Activities

Online Phonics Workshops for Parents/Carers

Online phonics workshop for parents / carers

Find out more about these online workshops which provide phonics information and help for parents, so you can really understand what your child is learning at school. They are designed to build your confidence in supporting your child’s phonics development by taking you through the things you need to know term by term, as your child progresses through Reception and Y1.

The workshops are not specific to any particular phonics programme, so are suitable for parents/carers of children in most schools in England.

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Testimonials

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Find the answers to some of the questions that are frequently asked by the parents/carers of children in nursery, reception, Y1 and Y2. This includes how to pronounce sounds correctly.

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Lesley Clarke's Letters and Sounds DfE Validated programme

For parents and carers of children in schools using Lesley Clarke’s Letters and Sounds (a DfE validated synthetic phonics programme).

Get an overview of the programme and links to further information you may need.

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