From sounds to words
- Beginning sounds. Hear the first sound of a word and match it to its letter.
- Ending sounds. Listen to the end of the word, which is harder to hear.
- Short vowels. The middle sound: c _ t, p _ g, s _ n.
- Build the word. Write all three sounds, one in each box.
- Rhymes. Hear that cat and hat end the same way.
- Word families. Change the first sound: cat, hat, bat.
- Digraphs and blends. Two letters, one sound (sh, ch) or two quick sounds (fr, st).
Pictures first
Phonics practice works when children say the word out loud. A picture gives them the word without needing to read it, so they can focus on the sounds. Each picture is chosen to have one obvious name, and the letters use simple shapes children learn first, like the single-story a.
Keep going
Pair these with spelling worksheets for the words that can’t be sounded out, and withpicture puzzles for spelling whole words with pictures.
In the MOE curriculum
- K1–K2The NEL Framework includes alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness and early word recognition.
- Primary 1The EL Syllabus 2020 calls for attention to phonemic awareness and phonics at the start of P1.
- Primary 1–2Phonological awareness and word recognition support beginning reading with accuracy and fluency.
In lower primary, phonics usually sits alongside STELLAR, MOE’s literacy programme built on children’s books. Take words from the week’s big book into the word family or blends practice, so children meet the same sounds in a story and on paper.
Many children here speak Mandarin, Malay, Tamil or another language at home as well as English. Sounds that a home language does not use, or uses differently, may need more listening time, so slow down on those rather than adding more pages.
Summarised in our own words from the MOE English Language Syllabus 2020 (Primary) and the Nurturing Early Learners Framework (2022).
