5 Signs Your Child May Need Extra Phonics Support
If you notice your child guesses words when reading, gets stuck or skips unfamiliar words, frequently mixes up sounds, reads far more slowly than expected, or avoids reading because they find it too challenging, they may need support to strengthen their phonics and reading skills.
Secure phonics skills are one of the foundations of early reading success. They help your child decode words, read more fluently, and grow in confidence as an independent reader.
However, not every child finds phonics easy. Some children need more time, practice, and support to build secure phonics knowledge and apply it consistently when reading.
As a parent, it can be hard to tell whether your child is developing at their own pace or would benefit from extra phonics support.
The good news is that there are often clear signs that your child may need additional help. Spotting these signs early can make a significant difference to their reading confidence and long-term progress.
In this guide, we explain five common signs your child may need extra phonics support and what you can do to help at home.
Why Are Phonics Skills Important for Early Reading?
Phonics teaches your child how letters and groups of letters represent sounds. These skills can help your child decode unfamiliar words rather than guess or rely on memory.
When phonics skills are secure, your child is more likely to:
Read fluently
Spell accurately
Understand what they read
Enjoy reading independently
When phonics skills are less secure, reading can feel slow, frustrating, and tiring.
Secure phonics knowledge can help your child approach unfamiliar words with confidence.
Your Child Guesses Words Instead of Decoding Them
One of the most common signs your child needs phonics help is frequent guessing.
For example, your child might see the word "horse" and say "house" because the beginning of the word looks similar.
Children who have secure phonics skills are more likely to break words into sounds and blend them together. Children who struggle with phonics often rely on pictures, context clues, or guessing instead. If guessing happens regularly, it may indicate that your child needs more support with decoding words.
Your Child Struggles to Read Unfamiliar Words
Many children can read books they know well because they have become familiar with the words.
However, the real test comes when your child meets a word they have never seen before. For example, your child might read a familiar bedtime story fluently but stop completely at a word such as "invisible" in a new book.
If your child can read familiar books but struggles with new words, this may suggest that they are relying more on memory than phonics.
Your Child Frequently Mixes Up Sounds
Some sound confusion is normal during the early stages of reading. You may notice your child confusing:
b and d
p and q
ch and sh
Mixing up sounds such as b and d usually reflects difficulty telling similar-looking letters apart rather than a phonics problem. For example, your child might read "chip" as "ship". They are common at this stage, so look for patterns over time rather than one-off mistakes.
However, ongoing difficulties with recognising and recalling sounds, or with blending and segmenting words, may suggest that additional phonics practice is needed.
Reading Feels Slow, Difficult, or Frustrating
Children with weaker phonics skills often spend so much energy decoding words that reading becomes exhausting.
You may notice that your child:
Takes several minutes to read short passages or a single page;
Avoids reading;
Gives up quickly;
Loses concentration;
Becomes frustrated with books;
This does not mean your child dislikes reading. It is more likely that reading currently feels harder than it should.
Your Child Lacks Confidence With Reading
Reading confidence and phonics skills are closely connected.
Children who find reading difficult sometimes begin to doubt their abilities. For example, your child might happily choose a book at bedtime but refuse to read any of it aloud, or stick to books they already know, or ones below their expected reading level.
You may hear comments such as:
"I'm not good at reading."
"This is too hard."
"Can you read it instead?"
These comments often indicate that your child needs encouragement, support, and opportunities to experience success with reading.
What Can You Do If Your Child Needs Extra Phonics Support?
If you recognise some of these signs, there are several ways to support your child's phonics development at home. You can:
Read together every day.
Practise phonics sounds regularly.
Encourage sounding out unfamiliar words.
Play simple word and rhyming games.
Celebrate effort and progress.
Keep sessions short — ten minutes a day is plenty.
Match books to the phonics level your child is working on.
Correct gently, then read the word together.
Praise your child straight away when they self-correct.
Short, regular practice is usually more effective than occasional long sessions. These short sessions can help strengthen sound recognition and improve reading accuracy, fluency and confidence.
When Should You Seek Additional Phonics Help?
If your child continues to struggle with decoding words, reading fluency, or confidence despite regular practice, it’s worth speaking to your child’s teacher or engaging a tutor for one-to-one targeted support..
Early support can help close learning gaps before they affect wider reading skills. The earlier difficulties are identified, the easier it is to build strong foundations for future learning.
At Ed Grande Tuition, we help your child strengthen their phonics skills, improve reading confidence, and develop the foundations they need to become successful readers. With the right support, children can make steady progress in phonics and grow into confident readers.
Recognise your child in any of these signs? Contact us today for a no-obligation chat about your child’s reading — we’d love to help them become a confident reader.
