Articles

Inspire a love of learning through phonics.

Whether you’re a teacher, family member, tutor, or childcare professional, you can have a positive impact on a child’s life. One of the most extraordinary gifts a child ever receives is the ability to read and write.

Although literacy doesn’t come naturally to humans, it’s an essential part of our everyday lives. Explicit, effective, and encouraging phonics instruction is vital to creating a more literate world.  Explore the trusted resources, articles, and reviews from phonics.org to instill a love of learning in someone you care about.

Phonics Resources for All

Learn how to become a phonics tutor with this guide on training, effective instruction, and starting your practice.

How to Become a Phonics Tutor

Are you passionate about helping children learn to read? Whether you’re a parent who...

Discover effective strategies for teaching silent letters and tricky word patterns to young readers.

Silent Letters and Tricky Words

Picture this: Your young reader is confidently sounding out words when they encounter “knife”...

Discover how movement enhances phonics learning, building stronger neural connections for reading skills.

The Connection Between Movement and Phonics Learning

When young children learn letter sounds through movement – jumping as they say /j/,...

Explore the science behind the bionic reading method and why it may hinder genuine reading development.

Bionic Reading: Y/N?

Tech + nature – sounds like the future, right?  In recent years, a new...

Discover how systematic phonics instruction can solve America's literacy crisis and improve reading skills.

Phonics and the Literacy Crisis: America’s Reading Challenge

The statistics are sobering: 66% of American fourth graders are failing to meet proficiency...

Discover how the ALL app empowers nonverbal learners with phonics, blending, and reading skills.

Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL) App Review

Empowering Nonverbal Learners with Phonics and Reading Skills Are you curious about other literacy...

Parental literacy directly affects a child’s academic performance. Learn more here.

How Adult Literacy Shapes Children’s Learning

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 43 million adults in the U.S....

Help your child master digraphs and trigraphs with fun, interactive activities to boost reading skills.

Digraphs and Trigraphs: A Parent’s Guide

Is your child starting to read words with letter combinations like ‘sh’ or ‘ch’?...

young girl on a video call with an English teacher for remote learning

How to Find a Phonics Tutor: Tips for Parents

Phonics is a major aspect of your child’s early education. It equips them with...

Sound Beginnings App Review

A Simple Approach to Phoneme Isolation Check out the other articles at phonics.org to...

Reading Comprehension Strategies: Building on Phonics Foundations

Reading Comprehension Strategies: Building on Phonics Foundations

Ever watched your child perfectly sound out every word in a story, only to have them stare blankly when you ask what the story was about? You’re not alone. This…

Phonics for Kids: Age-Appropriate Activities for Early Readers

Phonics for Kids: Age-Appropriate Activities for Early Readers

Learning to read is one of the most significant milestones in a child’s early development. Behind every confident reader is a foundation of strong phonics skills—the ability to connect letters…

How Open and Closed Syllables Build Strong Readers

How Open and Closed Syllables Build Strong Readers

Ever watched a young reader encounter a long, unfamiliar word? They might stare at it, attempt to sound it out letter by letter, or simply skip it entirely. What if…

Text-to-Speech: Supporting Early Readers Through Assistive Technology

Text-to-Speech: Supporting Early Readers Through Assistive Technology

Ever watched a child’s face light up when they finally understand a story that previously seemed like an impossible code to crack? That’s the magic text-to-speech technology can bring to…

Supporting Early Writers: Connecting Phonics to Writing Development

Supporting Early Writers: Connecting Phonics to Writing Development

Ever watched a child laboriously sound out each letter as they attempt to spell a word on paper? That concentrated look—tongue slightly protruding, pencil gripped tightly—represents an incredible cognitive feat.…

Digital vs. Traditional Phonics: What Research Says

Digital vs. Traditional Phonics: What Research Says

If you’re a parent of a child struggling with reading skills, you’ve likely found yourself standing at a crossroads. In one direction lies the familiar path of traditional phonics instruction—print…

Book Review: “A Bad Case of Stripes”

Book Review: “A Bad Case of Stripes”

David Shannon’s vibrant picture book “A Bad Case of Stripes,” tells the whimsical story of Camilla Cream, a young girl who cares too much about what others think. Her anxiety…

Practical Activities to Build Rhythm and Segmentation Skills

Practical Activities to Build Rhythm and Segmentation Skills

Teaching sound segmentation doesn’t require expensive materials or formal training—just enthusiasm and consistency! The key is to make these activities part of your daily routine and to keep them playful…

Cross-Linguistic Transfer in Reading

Cross-Linguistic Transfer in Reading

Does learning to read in one language help children learn to read in another? The answer is yes! Research shows that many reading skills can transfer between languages, a process…

Supporting Diverse Learners in Phonics Instruction

Supporting Diverse Learners in Phonics Instruction

Every classroom contains a unique tapestry of learners, each bringing their own strengths, challenges, and experiences to the process of learning to read. As educators, we must ensure that systematic…