Phonics
We're here to help kids learn how to read.
Our free reading lessons are clear and simple to follow. There are no distractions. No music, no sound effects. That’s different! By staying completely focused on learning to read, it just takes about 5 - 10 minutes to get through each lesson.
Each reading lesson builds on the previous one, so it’s important to sign up to our mailing list so you don’t miss any sessions. While we upload all of our videos to our YouTube channel, they don’t send out notifications to subscribers for kids’ channels. So click this button & let’s get started!
Every lesson introduces a new sound, along with review of previously learned sounds. Phonics is all about learning the sound each letter makes. This is also called a 𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙚.Rather than focusing on naming the letters of the alphabet, phonics focuses on "sounding out" words based on the sounds each letter represents. Recognizing phonemes and being able to sound out words is an important step that eliminates most of the guesswork that causes struggles for beginning readers.
For each lesson, there is a word list. Some of these words begin with the new sound, and some words end with this sound. We practice reading and saying these words both slowly and quickly. This way students get practice with 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 together to make words. This phonics practice with blending is an essential part of learning how to read independently and fluently.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
▸ What age are these reading lessons for?
These lessons are suitable for virtually all ages, including older learners. For the youngest readers, let your child lead the way here. Most kids can comfortably start reading lessons around age 5-6, but we’ve seen kids pick up reading as young as 2-3. If a child is curious about reading, don’t hold them back. But by the same token, don’t force a child into sitting still for these lessons if they’re not there yet.
▸ Do these lessons require supervision?
Most kids enjoy a mix of learning to read both with grownups (and older kids) as well as reading on their own.
▸ Why aren’t you saying the letters of the alphabet (A is for Apple)?
Knowing the names of the letters is useful for communicating about spelling, but doesn’t actually teach kids how to read words. The focus of reading is decoding what sounds each letter makes in a word.
▸ How long should you spend on each lesson?
The lessons are each about 5-10 minutes long. Because each lesson includes review, generally, it’s not necessary to repeat lessons. But if there’s a sound that your child is having trouble with, you can always jump back to that lesson.
▸ Is there a writing component?
These lessons are all oral. There will be a separate set of lessons to teach handwriting the letters, which is a separate skill. One reason for this is because for many kids, their fine motor skills are still developing, and they will learn to decode sounds faster than they will learn to write their letters and words.
▸ Why are the lessons in this order instead of alphabetical?
There are lots of different orders that would work, but we picked this order because it will allow kids to quickly learn the sounds to be able to sound out many simple words. Whereas if you go in alphabetical order, it will take quite a while before you could sound out “cat, mat, pat,” etc.
▸ Why are the lessons so “bare bones?” Where’s the music/animation?
Do you ever look at some modern educational material and wonder how can we expect kids to just calmly take in the essential information, with so much noise going on? This is our thinking behind our extremely simplified reading lessons. We have removed the distractions. The side-benefit is that the lessons are short and to-the-point. After finishing a quick reading lesson, send your kids to go play.
Phonics Videos
Watch this video to get an idea what we’re all about
“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.”