Reading develops step by step.
Children often begin by recognising pictures, symbols, familiar words and letters. Gradually, the relationship between letters and sounds becomes increasingly important.
A simplified path towards reading can look like this:
- The child sees a letter.
- The child connects the letter with a sound.
- Several sounds are combined.
- The sounds form a word.
- Words form sentences.
- With practice, decoding becomes quicker and more automatic.
Children develop at different rates, so there is no single timetable that applies to everyone.
Short, positive and regular reading sessions can make practice easier to include in everyday life.
Colored Letters is designed to provide an additional visual cue, particularly when children practise connecting letters with sounds.