Teaching Your Child to Read: What Order Should I Follow?

📚 Skip the Guesswork—Here’s the Step-by-Step Phonics Path

Teaching a child to read is one of the most rewarding things a parent or teacher can do—but also one of the most confusing. Do you start with sight words? Letter names? Whole books?

The answer lies in following a systematic phonics progression that builds reading skills from the ground up. In this post, you’ll learn the order most reading experts recommend and how to follow that path using simple, effective routines.

🧱 Why Sequence Matters

Reading isn’t just about memorizing words. It’s about understanding how letters and sounds work together to make meaning. That’s why the order you teach phonics patterns in matters.

Following a structured path helps your child:

• Avoid confusion

• Master one skill at a time

• Build confidence through success

• Transfer what they’ve learned to real reading

🧠 The Phonics Teaching Order That Works

Here’s the general sequence most Science of Reading-aligned programs recommend—and what we follow at BrainySheets:

1. Letter Sounds (Consonants and Short Vowels)

Start with:

• Consonant sounds like /m/, /s/, /t/, /n/

• Short vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, u

Practice hearing and saying sounds before blending them into words.

2. CVC Words (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant)

Once kids know a handful of sounds, start blending them:

• cat, hop, sun, bed, zip

• Focus on one short vowel at a time

Use sound boxes and finger tapping to reinforce.

3. Digraphs (sh, th, ch, wh, ck)

These are two letters that make one sound:

• ship, bath, chin, when, duck

• Introduce with motions and pictures to support memory

4. Consonant Blends

Teach students to push two or more consonant sounds together:

• stop, flag, crab, twist

• Practice hearing all the sounds in the blend

5. Silent E (Magic E)

Introduce how adding an e changes the vowel sound:

• cap → cape, hop → hope, kit → kite

This is a huge leap toward long vowel reading.

6. Long Vowel Teams

Teach vowel combinations that say a long vowel:

• ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, ow

• Use visuals and word lists grouped by pattern

7. R-Controlled Vowels (Bossy R)

When “r” follows a vowel, it changes the sound:

• car, bird, horn, fern, curl

These often show up in nonfiction and science texts.

8. Diphthongs and Advanced Patterns

Tackle the trickiest sounds last:

• oi, oy, ou, ow, au, aw

• Plus: soft c/g, silent letters, y as a vowel

By now, your child will have the tools to approach almost any unfamiliar word with confidence.

📘 How to Practice Along the Way

• Use decodable stories that only use taught patterns

• Keep sound and word review consistent

• Reread texts to build fluency

• Ask simple questions to reinforce comprehension

If you’re not sure where your child is in the sequence, start with short vowels and move forward when they show mastery.

🔁 Final Thought: One Step at a Time Builds a Reader for Life

Reading success doesn’t come from memorizing lists or guessing at pictures—it comes from a step-by-step system that builds decoding, fluency, and comprehension in the right order. Whether you’re teaching at home or guiding your classroom, following this sequence keeps learning clear, focused, and effective.