Phonics & early reading, step by step

There's a particular kind of joy on the day a child realises they can read a word all by themselves. Phonics is how most children get there — and it's gentler and more logical than it sounds.

What is phonics, really?

Phonics simply means teaching the sounds that letters make, and how those sounds blend together into words. Instead of memorising whole words by sight, a child learns that "c-a-t" blends into "cat" — a tool they can then use on words they've never seen before.

Alongside phonics, children pick up a small set of common sight words (like "the" and "was") that don't sound out neatly. Together, these two skills unlock early reading.

Signs your child may be ready

• They enjoy rhymes, songs and playing with sounds.
• They recognise some letters and ask what words say.
• They can sit with a picture book and follow a short story.

If some of these aren't there yet, that's fine — readiness varies enormously, and pushing too early can do more harm than good. A short chat is usually enough to tell where a child is.

How we build reading at Srijan

In our small English groups, reading grows in comfortable layers:

• Sounds first — letter sounds and simple blends, through games and lots of talking.
• Blending — sounding out and joining letters into short words.
• Reading aloud — decodable sentences and picture books, with plenty of encouragement.
• Confidence & comprehension — understanding and enjoying what's read, not just decoding it.

Because groups are small, a child who needs to linger on a tricky sound can do so without ever feeling "behind".

Supporting MOE and international families

Whether your child is in a Singapore MOE school or an international one, the foundations of reading are the same. We complement school learning and fill gaps gently — often the missing piece is simply time and attention, not ability.

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