Phonics Practice: Build Strong Decoding and Blending

Phonics is a method of teaching reading by linking letters (graphemes) to sounds (phonemes). Children learn to blend sounds to read words and segment sounds to spell. In UK primary schools, phonics is the foundation of early reading in Reception and Key Stage 1.

Short daily practice works best. Spend 5–10 minutes on letter-sound review, blending simple words, and reading short decodable texts. Keep it upbeat, repeat often, and stop before frustration. If you can, align practice with the sounds your child is currently learning at school.

Blending is combining individual sounds to read a word (for example, c-a-t becomes cat). It’s one of the most important early reading skills. Children often need lots of repetition to make blending automatic.

Tricky words (also called common exception words) are words that can’t be fully decoded using the phonics patterns a child knows yet (for example, said, was, one). These words are usually learned through repeated exposure and practice.

Sometimes decoding is present but fluency is weak—reading is slow and tiring. Re-reading short texts, building a bank of familiar words, and practicing with slightly easier books can help. If comprehension is the main issue, add gentle questions about what the text means.

Primary Story supports early readers by generating short, engaging stories and keeping reading practice positive. While it’s not a replacement for a structured phonics programme, it helps children read more often, build confidence, and practice comprehension with age-appropriate questions.