How to Teach Your Child Phonics at Home?

Phonics is one of the most powerful tools you can use to help your child learn to read—and the best part? You don’t need to be a teacher to do it. With just a little time each day, a few simple techniques, and some helpful resources, you can guide your child through the building blocks of reading right from your kitchen table.

One of our favorite tools for this? The Phonics Reading Passages from Reading Duck. These printable worksheets make learning phonics easy, structured, and—most importantly—fun.

In this post, we’ll break down exactly what phonics is, why it’s important, and how you can use Reading Duck’s free passages to teach your child to decode words confidently and independently.

What Is Phonics (and Why Is It So Important)?

Phonics is the method of teaching kids how letters (and groups of letters) connect to specific sounds. For example, the letter B makes the /b/ sound, while SH makes the /sh/ sound.

Once children learn to “sound out” letters and blend them together, they begin to crack the code of reading. Phonics teaches kids to:

• Recognize letter-sound relationships
• Decode new words
• Improve spelling
• Build confidence in reading independently

Without phonics, kids often rely on guessing or memorizing—which can lead to frustration or gaps in comprehension later on.

Where Do I Start?

Start simple. Begin with basic consonant sounds, then move on to short vowels, digraphs (like ch, sh, th), and word families. The key is repetition and progression.

Here’s a basic phonics path you can follow:

1. Letter sounds (A–Z)
2. Short vowel sounds (cat, pet, bit, hop, cup)
3. Consonant blends (bl, st, gr)
4. Digraphs (sh, th, ch)
5. Long vowels (cake, bike, boat)
6. R-controlled vowels (car, bird, fork)
7. Diphthongs (coin, boil, out)
8. Word families (-at, -an, -op, etc.)

Sound like a lot? Don’t worry—you don’t have to plan this all yourself. The Phonics Reading Passages from Reading Duck are already organized by skill, so you can work step by step without guessing what comes next.

How to Use Reading Duck’s Phonics Reading Passages?

Each worksheet on Reading Duck features a short, engaging story that focuses on a specific phonics pattern. These passages are perfect for reinforcing a sound or letter blend in context—which helps your child see and hear how it works in real reading.

Here’s a simple step-by-step routine you can follow using just one passage per day:

Step 1: Introduce the Sound

Before diving into the passage, review the target phonics sound for the day. For example, if today’s passage focuses on the -at family, practice sounding out:

• cat
• bat
• sat
• mat

You can write them on a whiteboard, make flashcards, or even use toys to represent each word.

Step 2: Read the Passage Together

Head over to Reading Duck’s phonics worksheet section and choose a passage that fits your child’s level. Print it out or read it on screen.

Now, read the story together—one sentence at a time. You read first, then have your child repeat. Or, if they’re more confident, take turns reading lines.

Encourage your child to:

• Point to each word as they read
• Sound out tricky words
• Circle or underline all the words with the focus phonics sound

Step 3: Discuss the Story

Ask a few simple questions:

• “What was the story about?”
• “Did you notice any rhyming words?”
• “Can you find three words that have the ‘at’ sound?”

This helps build comprehension skills along with phonics.

Step 4: Practice the Word List

Each worksheet usually includes a short word list at the bottom or side. Go through each word together. Practice reading them out loud, writing them down, or even using them in silly sentences like:

• “The fat cat sat on a hat with a bat!”

Step 5: Reinforce with a Mini Game

Turn the lesson into a quick game! A few ideas:

• Phonics scavenger hunt: “Find something in the room that starts with ‘ch.’”
• Sound sorting: Cut out words from the worksheet and have your child sort them into piles (e.g., ‘sh’ vs ‘ch’ sounds).
• Word art: Have your child draw a picture of one of the words and label it.

Ready to Get Started?

If you’re looking for an easy, step-by-step way to teach your child phonics, the Phonics Reading Passages from Reading Duck are a perfect place to start. Whether your child is just beginning to decode words or needs more practice with specific sounds, you’ll find a wide variety of resources that are free, printable, and ready to use.

Remember—you don’t need to be perfect. You just need to show up consistently, stay positive, and have a little fun along the way.

Happy reading!