Five is when reading often clicks. Many 5 year olds are learning phonics at school, and a little practice at home makes a real difference. Whether your child is just starting or already sounding out words, this post explains how to teach a 5 year old to read and write at home, and how to keep the two working together.
Reading and writing are two sides of the same skill. Reading turns letters into sounds and sounds into words. Spelling turns a word into sounds and sounds into letters. Practice one and you strengthen the other.
Step 1: Check the letter sounds
Most 5 year olds know some letter sounds, but gaps are common. Write the letters on cards and go through them quickly. Put any your child hesitates on in a “practice pile” and review them every day. Make sure your child says the pure sound: /m/, not “muh”. Our guide to letter sounds in order explains the usual sequence and how to say each sound.
Step 2: Blend simple words every day
If your child can say the sounds but struggles to put them together, spend time on blending before anything else. Point under each letter of a word like sun, let your child say the sounds, then sweep your finger under the word as they say it smoothly. Our blending guide has six ways to practice.
Five or six words, read well, is a great session.
Step 3: Spell by sounds (segmenting)
Writing starts with hearing the sounds in a word. Say a word like dog and ask your child to tell you its sounds: /d/ /o/ /g/. Hold up a finger for each sound. Then they write a letter for each sound.
This is called segmenting, and it’s the same skill as blending in reverse. Start with three-sound words from our CVC words list, then move to four sounds, like frog and lamp.
Don’t worry about perfect spelling yet. If your child writes kat for cat, that’s great: they heard every sound. Praise that, and show them the usual spelling.
Step 4: Move on to digraphs
Once three-letter words feel easy, teach the common two-letter sounds: sh, ch, th and ck. These are called digraphs, and they open up hundreds of new words like ship, chop and duck. Our guide to digraphs explained shows how to introduce them.
Step 5: Read and write sentences
When your child can read a few dozen words, put them together. Write a short sentence for them to read, like The cat is on the mat, and then dictate one for them to write. Tricky words such as the, is and was appear in almost every sentence, so teach those alongside phonics. Our list of tricky words for kindergarten shows which ones to start with.
Step 6: Read real books together
Give your child decodable books, written with the sounds they know, so they can read them on their own. Our picks are in the best phonics books for beginning readers. Then, once a book is read, talk about it: what happened, what they liked, what they think will happen next. That’s where reading comprehension begins.
Try this tonight
Silly sentence swap
- Write a short sentence your child can read: The pig is in the mud.
- Your child reads it. Then they change one word to make it silly: The pig is in the bus.
- They write the new word themselves, saying its sounds as they go.
- Read the silly sentence together and draw a quick picture of it.
How much practice does a 5 year old need?
About ten to fifteen minutes a day is plenty, split into short bursts if that’s easier. If your child is learning to read at school, ask their teacher which sounds they’re working on this week and practice those at home. Our reading routine guide has ideas for fitting practice into busy days.
When to ask for help
Children learn to read at different speeds, and a slow start is common at five. But if your child still finds letter sounds very hard after lots of practice, or you have concerns about their hearing, speech or attention, talk to their teacher or pediatrician. Our post is my child behind in reading? explains what to look for.
Free: reading log
A simple chart to record the books your child reads, with a sticker space for each one. Watching the chart fill up is a great motivator at this age.
Frequently asked questions
Should a 5 year old be able to read?
Many 5 year olds are beginning to read simple words and short sentences, often while learning phonics at school. Others are still learning letter sounds. Both are within the normal range at five.
How do I teach my 5 year old to read and write at the same time?
Practice blending for reading and segmenting for spelling. When your child reads a word, ask them to write a similar one by saying its sounds and writing a letter for each sound.
What should a 5 year old be able to write?
Many 5 year olds can write their name and simple words by sounding them out, such as cat or dog. Spelling won’t be perfect, and that’s fine: hearing each sound matters more at this stage.
My 5 year old is not interested in reading. What can I do?
Keep sessions very short, use games instead of worksheets, and read aloud books they love every day. Following their interests, whether that’s dinosaurs or trucks, often brings them back.