Parents usually see the word "phonics", around the time their child is three or four years old. Many assume that “phonics” describes a single thing that happens for a year and then finishes.
It does not. Phonics is the opening stage of a much longer learning journey, and knowing where your child is on that journey tells you what they should be working on and what to expect next.
Here is the whole pathway, stage by stage.
Nothing here involves reading yet, and that is the point.
What a child is learning: that speech is made of sounds. Rhyme. Syllables. Noticing that "boat" and "coat" end alike, and that "mummy" starts with /m/.
What it looks like at home: nursery rhymes, songs, clapping out names, fun word games.
Why it matters: a child who cannot hear the separate sounds in a spoken word cannot map letters onto them later. Almost every child who struggles with phonics at five is missing something from this stage.
Our stage: Reading Foundations — our pre-reading programme.
This is the stage where children begin connecting the sounds they hear with letters and using them to read words.
What a child is learning: how letters represent sounds and how to combine these sounds to form words. As they progress, children learn more complex patterns, from sounds such as ‘sh’, ‘ch’ and ‘th’ to silent ‘e’ as well as different vowel combinations.
The key skill: blending. Children learn to combine individual sounds to read a complete word, gradually progressing from simple words to more complex ones.
What it looks like at home: sounding out short words and reading simple stories together.
Why it matters: strong decoding skills help children read unfamiliar words independently instead of relying on memorisation. This gives them a stronger foundation as they progress to more fluent reading.
Our stage: Reading Foundations, moving into Champion Readers
Once children can decode words, the next step is learning to read more smoothly, independently and with understanding.
What a child is learning: Reading with greater fluency and expression, building vocabulary, understanding what they have read, and answering questions about the text.
What it looks like at home: Reading aloud with increasing confidence and talking about the story, such as what happened, why it happened and what might happen next.
Why it matters: As reading becomes more fluent, children can focus less on sounding out individual words and more on understanding what they are reading.
Our stage: Champion Readers — a one-year programme across six progressive levels. In Levels 1 to 3, children learn to read using I Can Read’s unique diacritical marking system. In Levels 4 to 6, these markings are removed as children progress towards independent reading.
At this stage, children build on their literacy skills while developing the confidence and independence needed for the transition to Primary 1.
What a child is learning: strengthening reading, comprehension, spelling, writing and oral communication skills, while becoming more comfortable completing tasks independently and following classroom instructions.
What it looks like at home: reading and discussing stories, practising spelling and writing simple sentences, and completing short activities with less support.
Why it matters: Primary 1 introduces new expectations for English and classroom learning. Building these skills in K2 helps children make the transition with a stronger foundation and greater confidence.
Our stage: Headstart to Primary 1 — our Primary 1 school readiness programme for K2 children.
As children progress through primary school, the focus expands beyond learning to read to using English confidently across different areas of the subject.
What a child is learning: developing stronger comprehension, grammar, vocabulary and writing skills, while learning to understand and respond to increasingly complex texts and questions.
Building on reading foundations: strong reading skills continue to support children as they encounter more challenging vocabulary, longer passages and increasingly complex language.
Why it matters: as the demands of Primary English increase, children need to apply their language skills across comprehension, writing and other components of the subject, while building towards greater exam readiness.
Our stage: Primary English — our English enrichment programme for Primary 1 to Primary 6, developing the four core language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Children do not move through these stages on a schedule, and a child can be ahead on one and behind on another. It is common to decode well and comprehend poorly, or the reverse.
That is why every child completes an English Assessment before placement, based on literacy ability rather than age alone — and why the pathway runs to 12, so progressing to the next stage does not mean starting again somewhere new.
If you are not sure where your child sits, an English Assessment at your nearest centre will tell you specifically. Or see all four programmes laid out together.
Ages 2.5 to 12, across four programmes: Reading Foundations, Champion Readers, Headstart to Primary 1 and Primary English. Children move through the pathway without changing centre.
I Can Read teaches phonics as part of a structured reading pathway at centres across Singapore — north, north-east, east, west and central, most in a shopping mall near an MRT station. Every child completes an English Assessment first, so they start at the level that matches their literacy ability rather than their age. The centres page lists every location.
No. Phonics is usually taught in the preschool years, but children in lower primary who are still decoding effortfully benefit from structured phonics too, and many do.
Possibly, but a different one. Fluent decoders often need comprehension, vocabulary and writing rather than more phonics — which is what the later stages of the pathway cover.
Possibly,but only when ongoing assessment shows they have securely mastered the skills taught at that stage. Children should be continually assessed and moved forward according to their progress, rather than age or time spent in a programme.
It is common but also fixable. What matters is starting from where your child is now, rather than where their age or year group suggests they should be. If reading is the concern, Is My Child Struggling to Read? explains the signs to look for and how you can help.