Year 1 Reading: Phonics Foundations & Early Comprehension

In Year 1 (ages 5-6), children are typically learning to read through phonics. Many children can blend simple CVC words (like cat, dog, pin), read short sentences with familiar high-frequency words (the, and, to), and begin to understand what they’ve read by answering simple questions. The expected reading age is roughly 5-6 years, but progress varies widely in Year 1. The most important goal is steady progress with phonics and growing confidence, not speed.

Short, consistent practice works best in Year 1. Aim for 5-10 minutes daily of phonics and reading together. Let your child point to each word, blend sounds slowly, and reread sentences to build fluency. Talk about the story using simple questions like ‘Who is this about?’ and ‘What happened?’ Praise effort, keep it fun, and stop before frustration sets in. Primary Story helps by generating short, engaging stories and gentle comprehension questions at the right level.

Year 1 reading focuses on: learning letter-sound correspondences, blending sounds to read words, segmenting words for spelling, recognizing common tricky words (like said, have, was), reading simple sentences with growing fluency, and understanding literal meaning. Children also begin early comprehension skills such as recalling characters, settings, and main events.

Year 1 children benefit from decodable phonics books that match the sounds they’re learning, plus picture books read aloud by adults. Look for short sentences, repeated phrases, supportive illustrations, and high-interest topics. It’s normal for Year 1 children to reread the same book many times—repetition builds confidence and fluency.

Primary Story creates Year 1-level stories (typically 150-250 words) with clear sentence structure, age-appropriate vocabulary, and supportive illustrations. Questions focus on simple retrieval (‘Who? What? Where?’) and basic feelings inference (‘How did they feel?’). Stories can be personalized to your child’s interests, helping them stay motivated while they build foundational phonics and comprehension.

A realistic goal for Year 1 is 5-10 minutes of reading practice each day, plus read-aloud time with an adult when possible. Little-and-often helps children build habits without becoming tired or frustrated. Over time, many children naturally increase to 10-15 minutes as stamina and confidence grow.

It’s common for children to find phonics tricky at first. Keep practice short and positive, revisit sounds regularly, and use decodable texts that match what they’ve learned in school. If your child is consistently stuck, ask the teacher which phonics phase/sounds they’re on so you can practice the same content at home. Primary Story can support motivation and confidence, but targeted phonics practice is still the best way to close gaps.

Signs of progress include: blending sounds more quickly, recognizing tricky words, needing less help on familiar texts, reading with more expression, and answering simple questions about what they’ve read. Small improvements week-to-week are a strong indicator. Primary Story’s progress tracking helps you see growth across reading and comprehension over time.