The reading guide · For parents
Little words.
Big discoveries.
Help your child read English and make sense of it. Simple ideas for the sounds, words and stories you explore together.
Find your next small stepA word to read. An idea to explore.
A little word you can bring to life.
After reading sat together, sit a favourite toy on a chair. Talk about what the toy did.
Start where your child is
A familiar question.
A useful next step.
You do not need all the answers. Choose what you are noticing, and try one small idea together.
They know the alphabet. What comes next?
Help familiar letters become sounds your child can use in words.
How can we practise letter sounds?
A few sounds, clear examples and simple activities with paper cards.
How do sounds become a word?
Model blending, take a turn together and bring the word to life.
They know the sounds, but the word is hard.
Notice the sticking point and choose the help your child needs next.
They read the words. Do they understand?
Bring a sentence together and explore what it tells you.
What if reading feels difficult?
Make practice calmer and find a next step with your child’s teacher.
Beyond the practice
Make room for meaning.
Reading has a place in the little conversations you already share.
Talk about a word.
Point, draw or act it out. If an English word is new, explain it in a language your child knows, then connect it back to the word.
Keep sharing stories.
Read aloud while your child listens and joins in. They can enjoy a wonderful story long before they can read every word themselves.
Stay on the same team.
Ask their teacher which sounds or books to practise. Share what you notice at home, and choose a manageable next step together.
AptyRead English Reading Program
One small step.
Then another.
Step-by-step learning for ages 4–10, in the AptyRead app. Children begin with letters and sounds, and build simple words from Lesson 1.
Five progressive levels connect first words with sentences, stories and reading with understanding.
Explore the five-level journeyWritten by the AptyRead team. Our guides bring together practical home activities and published reading guidance. You will find sources and further reading in each article.
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