How to Teach Your Child to Read — Where Every Parent Should Begin

Learning to read is one of the most important skills your child will ever acquire. As a parent, you play a powerful role in building that foundation early. Whether your child is in preschool or just starting Grade R, you can help them develop strong reading skills from the comfort of your home.

In this blog post, we’ll guide you through simple, effective steps to teach your child how to read — starting with the basics and moving all the way to simple sentences.

Step 1: Start with Basic Letter Sounds

Before your child can read words, they need to know the sounds each letter makes. Focus on introducing letter sounds using simple and familiar words like:

a (ant), b (bag), c (cat), d (dog), e (egg), f (fan), g (gum), h (hat), i (ink), j (jet), k (king), l (leg), m (mat), n (net), o (old), p (pen), q (queen), r (run), s (son), t (ten), u (unzip), v (van), w (wig), x (box), y (yes), z (zip)

🎯 Tip: Keep lessons short and fun. Use flashcards, songs, or games to help your child remember the sounds.

Step 2: Practice Two-Letter Word Blending

Once your child knows a few letter sounds, it’s time to blend them together. Start with simple two-letter words like: an, un, up, it, if.

Say each sound slowly and clearly, then blend them together out loud. Encourage your child to repeat after you.

Step 3: Read Two-Letter Words on Paper

Write the words on paper or a whiteboard. This helps your child make the connection between what they hear and what they see.

🔍 Important: Make sure there are no pictures — this keeps their focus on decoding the word.

Step 4: Gradually Move to Longer Words

As your child gains confidence, introduce three-letter words like cat, dog, fat, fan, jet, mat. Use the same process — sound each letter, then blend.

Step 5: Introduce Short Sentences

Now it’s time to read simple sentences using familiar words, like:

It is on it.It is on top.

Step 5: Start Blending Sounds

As your child becomes familiar with sound-letter connections, introduce the concept of blending. Start with simple words, emphasizing how to combine sounds to create words.

For example, break down “c-a-t” to help your child blend it into “cat.” Turn this into a fun game where you take turns forming words. Use toys or pictures to enhance the context of what you create.

Step 6: Teach Tricky Words

Some words don’t follow the usual sound rules. Introduce them gradually:

• “the”: Teach that "t" and "h" together make /th/ (as in this) and "e" says /e/ (as in egg).

• “I”: Alone it says its name (I am happy), but with other words, it says /i/ (in, it, is).

• “a”: Alone it says its name (A dog is here), but in words like cat, mat, fat, it says /a/ (as in ant).

Step 7: Build Confidence with Short Sentences

Try easy sentences to reinforce learning:

A big jet.The mug is on a mat.

These help your child apply what they’ve learned while building confidence.

📚 Early Reader Books to Start With

Help your child progress with books designed for early reading.👉 Buy the Learn How to Read Series: Books 1–4

🎓 Join Our Live Reading Classes

We offer fun, interactive Zoom classes led by experienced educators.👉 Sign Up for Reading Classes

💬 Final Thoughts

Teaching your child how to read doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With consistency, encouragement, and the right tools, your child can become a confident reader — and you’ll enjoy the journey with them.

Start today, keep it playful, and celebrate every small win along the way!

A cozy reading nook with a variety of children’s books.