Teaching your child how to read can be an enjoyable process, but for many it can also be fraught with problems.The teaching process has a set number of rules which parents can follow in order to make the process a success.

Schools throughout the UK use phonics when teaching reading.It is defined as knowing that the letters and the sounds they make have an association with each other.Just like a jigsaw puzzle, as the child becomes confident witsingle letters they then become able to piece the letters together, understanding short words and phrases. Whilst on paper this process sounds simple it can be quite a challenge for the child.The alphabet is made up of 26 letters, but did you know these letters make up 44 different sounds? For many children this is where the confusion starts.

Learning to read with phonics

The first step in the learning journey is understanding the sound made by an individual letter.Just consider what noise the letter c makes when used in the word cat for example.When this has been mastered the child begins to learn how the sounds change depending on the other letters within the word.So for example, the letter c makes a specific sound when used alone, but when used as “ch” makes a completely different sound.At the end of the journey the child will be able to decode words, breaking them down and understanding the link the letters have with each other.

For many children, learning to read with phonics starts at school age However, if your child appears ready then you can start to teach phonics at home.There are plenty of fun phonics books available to buy so you can start teaching your child how to read at home.Look out for brightly coloured books with the letters and sound printed in a bold typeface.Schools give a lot of time over to learning to read, so do not rush your child through the process at home.