This page will tell you how to teach your child to decode or read. Decoding is “reading the words.” A child must still learn comprehension strategies.
Do NOT panic! Kids do catch up and often surpass their peers in their class! Reading is developmental, just like walking. Even if you discover that your child has a reading disability, it simply means that your child needs to learn to read in a multisensory way. They, TOO, catch up and go on to college!
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Is your child READY to learn to read?
First, your child MUST have phonological and phonemic awareness to read. Here is a handy sheet. These activities only involve the ears. No print should be in front of the child. The most important phonemic awareness activities are segmenting and blending because these have direct applications to spelling and reading. You can locate these on the sheet, but you can do them with ANY word!
Segmenting—Segmenting translates to spelling! The parent says the word, and the child says the individual sounds in it.
- “cat” – child says, /c/ /a/ /t/
- “plant” – child says /p/ /l/ /a/ /n/ /t/ * Be sure your child does not say /pl/ /a/ /n/ /t/. because /p/ and /l/ are two separate sounds. Blends are tricky for children.
Blending—Blending translates to reading! Blending is the opposite of segmenting. The parent articulates the individual sounds of a word, and the child combines those sounds to form the complete word.
- /d/ /o/ /g/ child says “dog.”
- /b/ /l/ /o/ /ck/ child says “block,” but blends are tricky for children. These will take practice, as children typically omit part of the blend and will say “lock” or “bock.”
When teaching students to blend sounds into words—whether during phonemic awareness activities or while learning to read—it’s best to start with continuous sounds. A continuous sound can be held as long as you can breathe, making it easier for students to stretch and blend into the next sound. Examples of continuous sounds include /s/, /m/, /n/, /f/, /v/, /z/, /l/, /r/, and all vowel sounds. Because these sounds can be sustained, students can smoothly connect them to the next letter in the word, making it easier and more confident to grasp the concept of blending.
Articulation cards are helpful when teaching blending because they connect how a sound is made (articulation) with how sounds combine to form words (phonemic awareness and phonics). Here’s why they’re so effective:
* They make sounds concrete.
Each card shows where and how the mouth, lips, and tongue move for a sound. When students see and feel how a sound is produced, it’s easier to blend it smoothly with other sounds.
Example:
If a student struggles to blend /m/ + /a/ + /t/, showing the /m/ card (closed lips) reminds them to start with lips together before opening for /a/.
* They strengthen sound awareness.
Blending requires students to hear and hold onto each phoneme. Articulation cards help them become aware of each distinct sound before merging them.
Example:
A student learning /s/ + /u/ + /n/ can look at the cards and remember to keep the /s/ continuous while sliding into /u/.
* They connect speech to print.
Articulation cards bridge the gap between oral motor movements (how the sound is made) and letters (how it’s written). This supports both phonemic awareness and phonics—critical skills for blending.
* They give visual cues for tricky sounds.
Students often confuse similar sounds (like /b/ and /p/). Seeing the mouth movements helps them distinguish and blend the correct sounds more accurately.
* They improve self-monitoring and correction.
When students know what correct articulation looks and feels like, they can notice when their sounds aren’t blending right and self-correct.
Articulation cards make abstract sounds visible and tangible, helping students coordinate what they see, feel, and hear—the foundation of smooth, accurate blending.
Second, your child must know the letter names and sounds.
If your child has phonological and phonemic awareness and knows letter names and sounds, they are ready to read!
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My Recommendations for Parents!
1. Follow the UFLI decodable curriculum—lessons 1-128. Do a lesson a day!
This FREE program fills in all the gaps. It begins by teaching one letter—/a/—and adding a new letter each day. By lesson 128, your child can read and write anything. Start today; don’t rush through it; keep working on the material throughout the summer! If following the program is too cumbersome, you can proceed directly to the UFLI decodable texts. Read, reread, reread, and reread these! Your child should also be able to spell every word on every page.
Click here for the UFLI steps.
how to teach decoding
2. Say it, stretch it, spell it, change it
This activity is essential for improving reading and spelling skills. It reinforces tapping and blending, and children see the subtle differences in words. In this activity, the students change one letter at a time to create a new word.
Click here.
Distinguishing between short /e/ and /i/ can be tricky. Have students put their hand under their chin. Have them say pig/peg. The jaw drops further down with /e/ words.
Unlocking Kid Decoding Skills for Early Readers
3. Immerse the child in print via closed captioning and labels around the home
Finland utilizes closed captioning to support reading development, and they have the world’s highest reading scores. If your child enjoys listening to a book read aloud online, make sure to activate the closed captioning feature! Also, label your home to help with literacy development—bed, toilet, sink, closet, Legos… Your child’s brain needs to process print as much as possible! Here is an example.
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4. Master sight words
Printable download of the above chart
You can buy sight word flashcards. These sight words are great because they are divided by grade level.
Master a few sight words each day. (If you follow step 1 above, the sight words are embedded in the UFLI stories, so you can skip this step.) To help your child learn these words, incorporate them into simple sentences, as context is the most effective way to learn them. Additionally, have your child read and reread:
- Decodable-Dolch-Sight-Word-Stories-Preprimer-Grade-3
- Free sight word stories online
- Dolch Story – uses all Dolch words.
Students’ word recognition, fluency, and comprehension improve significantly when they practice reading text or phrases repeatedly.
If stuck on a sight word, your child should attempt to sound it out. Even though many sight words have irregular spellings, parts of most are regular. Teach your child to memorize the “irregular” part. For example, the “ai” in said makes the short /e/ sound.
How to teach decoding
5. 37 rimes make up over 500 words!
A rime is a spelling pattern that includes the vowel and the letters that follow it within a syllable. For example, in the word cat, the rime is -at; in swim, it’s -im. These patterns form the foundation of many word families. You can help your child become a more confident reader and speller by teaching the 37 most common rimes, which make up over 500 high-frequency words found in elementary texts. Write each rime on an index card and have your child practice them daily—both by reading and spelling them. Then, turn them into reading and spelling real words. For example, if your child can read and spell ight, they can read and spell might, right, light, night, sight…
A rime is different than a rhyme.
6. Lexia Core 5
If you want an independent computer option that reinforces reading (decoding and comprehension), spelling, and phonemic awareness and TEACHES the EXACT skills your child needs from preschool through grade 5, I recommend Lexia Core 5! Lexia Core 5 is an evidence-based, well-respected app used in many schools. It is available as a home version and costs $175 for a one-year subscription. My school uses it, and I highly recommend it! Use it for at least 60 minutes each week. Your child takes an online test upon joining, which determines their exact level of proficiency. Your child cannot advance until they have mastered the necessary sequential skills. Do NOT give your child answers on Lexia Core 5. Lexia Core 5 TEACHES your child!
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7. Parents, make books a fun and engaging experience!
Find books and children’s magazines on topics or characters your child LOVES, and read those together every day. Books about Star Wars, Barbie, Pokémon, and Captain Underpants are all great choices! It is FINE to read aloud to your child. Books and print should be a HAPPY and PLEASANT experience, so they associate reading with ENJOYMENT!
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8. Maybe invest in a tutor
It may be best to invest in a reading tutor if you can afford one, as teaching a struggling reader can be a significant challenge for a parent. Most children are more receptive to someone outside the home. Finding an in-person tutor who has received training in Wilson or Orton-Gillingham is the most effective option for instruction. This way, you get the phonics, reading, and spelling all rolled into one. These programs are multisensory and systematic, following a structure similar to UFLI in recommendation #1 above. This kind of instruction is what struggling readers need! However, Wilson and OG tutors can be more expensive than the average tutor. If you find a regular reading tutor, have her follow my recommendations on this page! I answer all questions for free—have the tutor contact me!
How to teach decoding
9. ONLY use decodable texts!
Parents, if your child is struggling or just learning to read, you must teach them to sound out words and use decodable texts. PLEASE do NOT teach your child to read by using predictable books. Predictable books are leveled texts that follow a consistent pattern, often starting with a sentence such as “I like to dance.” I like to climb. I like to hike. Children aren’t “reading” but guessing based on the pictures. Don’t encourage guessing! Words like dance, climb, and hike have advanced spelling patterns that young children haven’t been taught yet. Opt for decodable texts to systematically introduce your child to phonics and help them SOUND out words. DECODING the LETTERS is READING!
Consider the Orton Gillingham 13-book series! You can buy them as you need them. I can’t rave about these enough. They gradually progress in phonics skills, starting with short-vowel CVC stories and progressing to compounds and multisyllabic words. These inexpensive readers are perfect for parents and teachers.
A faulty method of teaching reading is comprehension first, which involves having the child use context clues to read. However, the science of reading has taught us that children need phonics first to learn how to look at the letters in words. When children encounter difficulties, they must utilize phonics to solve problems!
Edited on 10/26/25
