Phonics usually starts with teaching children the basic sounds of individual letters and then progresses to more complex sounds, such as blends and digraphs. Children are taught to recognise these sounds in spoken words and then match them to the corresponding letters or letter combinations when reading or writing.

Phonics instruction can take many forms, such as whole-language instruction, systematic synthetic phonics, and embedded phonics. Whole-language instruction emphasises reading real books and understanding the meaning of what is read. Systematic synthetic phonics is a more structured approach that focuses on teaching children how to blend the sounds of letters together to read words. Embedded phonics is an approach where phonics instruction is integrated into the reading of connected text.

Phonics instruction is most effective when it is explicit and systematic. This means that the sounds and letters are taught in a logical order, and children are given plenty of opportunities to practice and apply what they have learned. Additionally, phonics instruction should be supported with a balanced literacy program that includes reading, writing, and speaking and listening activities.

Understanding phonics will also help children know which letters to use when they are writing words.

Phonics involves matching the sounds of spoken English with individual letters or groups of letters. For example, the sound k can be spelled as c, k, ck or ch.

Teaching children to blend the sounds of letters together helps them decode unfamiliar or unknown words by sounding them out. For example, when a child is taught the sounds for the letters t, p, a and s, they can start to build up the words: “tap”, “taps”, “pat”, “pats” and “sat”.