When my child first started learning phonics, I didn’t even know where to begin. I wasn’t trying to teach it myself — I just wanted to understand what she was learning in school, and maybe say the right things at home without confusing her more.
If you’re in the same boat, here’s a gentle breakdown of the key phonics concepts many children in Singapore learn in the early years.
1. Letter sounds (not letter names!)
This is where phonics begins. Kids learn that each letter makes a sound, not just a name.
- m as in mat, not “em”
- t as in top, not “tee”
To help kids remember, many teachers and phonics programmes (like Jolly Phonics or Letterland) use gestures or actions with each sound. For example, pretending to rub their tummy for the /m/ sound (mmm as in something yummy). It turns abstract sounds into something physical and fun — and helps it stick!
You might hear this called phonemes — it just means the smallest unit of sound in a word.
2. Letter formation
Alongside learning the sounds, kids also learn how to write the letters correctly. Some schools use handwriting rhymes or stories (especially in Letterland or Jolly Phonics) to guide them. It’s not just about neat writing — forming letters the right way helps with muscle memory and confidence.
3. Blending and segmenting
These two skills are at the heart of phonics.
Blending is putting sounds together to read a word.
c-a-t becomes cat
Segmenting is breaking a word apart into its individual sounds.
dog becomes d-o-g
Most children start with CVC words — words made up of a consonant, a vowel, and another consonant.
Examples: cat, dog, sun, pen, hug
Teachers often use tapping or finger-pointing to help children “feel” each sound as they say it. Once kids get the hang of CVC words, it becomes easier for them to try longer ones.
4. Beginning and ending blends
Blends are two consonants said closely together — they don’t combine into one sound, but they flow smoothly.
Beginning blends: bl in black, gr in green
Ending blends: mp in jump, nd in sand
Some kids need extra time to hear both letters in a blend, especially at the end of a word.
5. Short vowels
These are the “basic” vowel sounds most children learn first.
- a as in cat
- e as in bed
- i as in pin
- o as in pot
- u as in sun
Short vowel sounds are important because they show up in so many early words — but they’re often mixed up, so don’t worry if your child takes time to get them right.
6. Digraphs
Digraphs are two letters that make one sound.
Consonant digraphs include:
- sh in ship
- ch in chop
- th in thin
- wh in when
- ph in phone
Vowel digraphs include:
- ai in rain
- ee in feet
- oa in boat
- ue in blue
- ie in pie
These digraphs often show up in slightly more advanced word patterns — like CVCC (e.g. fish, chat), CCVC (e.g. ship, that), or even CVCe words (e.g. bake, hope, where the final e is silent).
To help children recognise them, teachers often teach digraphs as “letter teams” — two letters that stick together to make one sound.
7. Long vowels and magic “e”
When a silent e appears at the end of a word, it often changes the vowel before it — making the vowel say its name.
- cap becomes cape
- hop becomes hope
- kit becomes kite
This pattern is known as Magic E or Silent E, and it’s usually introduced after children are comfortable with short vowel sounds. It’s a simple rule that unlocks lots of new words — and often feels like a fun “aha!” moment for kids when they figure it out.
Teachers sometimes say, “The e gives the vowel a little boost!” or use visual cues (like the e wearing a magician’s hat) to help the idea stick. Once your child starts noticing Magic E words in books, it’s a great sign they’re growing in confidence with phonics.
Wait — Why is Magic E grouped with long vowels?
It’s because Magic E is what creates long vowels in many early words!
A long vowel means the vowel “says its name” — like a in cake or i in bike.
But on their own, vowels usually make short sounds — like a in cat or i in sit.
The silent e at the end of words like cape, hope, and cute changes the vowel before it, turning it from a short vowel to a long one.
That’s why they’re often taught together — they go hand in hand.
…And then there’s more (but don’t worry)
Of course, this isn’t the entire phonics journey. As kids get more confident, they’ll start learning trickier patterns — like bossy r sounds (ar, er, or), diphthongs (oi, ow), and even trigraphs (igh, tch). These come a little later, and they do get more complex — but your child won’t be learning them all at once, and neither do you have to.
You don’t need to memorise everything or teach it yourself. Just having a rough idea of how phonics is structured can help you follow along, encourage your child, and feel a little less lost in the process.
This Little Season 