🌱 Level 1 – Starter

Phonics Level 1

The perfect first step into the world of reading! Fun, gentle and full of discovery for little learners aged 3–5.

Ages 3–5 8 Weeks Beginner Certificate Included
Course Overview

What Sounds Your Child Will Learn

Phonics Level 1 is designed specifically for young beginners. Through playful activities, colourful resources and gentle guidance, children discover the magical connection between letter sounds and reading. We teach the sound each letter makes β€” not just its name β€” so children can blend and decode real words from day one. By the end of this course, your little one will confidently produce all phonics sounds and begin reading!

Learning Outcomes

Produce all 42 phonics sounds correctly
Blend simple CVC words (cat, dog, sit)
Segment words into individual sounds
Recognise 20 high-frequency words
Read simple sentences aloud
Write letters with correct formation
Develop phonemic awareness
Build love and confidence for reading

πŸ“‹ Weekly Curriculum

Week 1
Set 1 Sounds: /s/ /a/ /t/ /p/ /i/ /n/

Introducing the first 6 phonics sounds. Children learn to say each sound clearly, recognise the letter, and begin blending (e.g. sat, pin, nip).

Week 2
Set 2 Sounds: /m/ /d/ /g/ /o/ /c/ /k/

Six new phonics sounds introduced. Blending practice expands to more CVC words (e.g. dog, cot, map). Sound buttons and segmenting arms activities.

Week 3
Set 3 & 4 Sounds + CVC Blending

Sounds /ck/ /e/ /u/ /r/ /h/ /b/ /f/ /l/ introduced. Children blend 3-sound CVC words fluently using sound buttons (e.g. hug, red, bell).

Week 4
Tricky Words + Set 5 Sounds

Final sounds /j/ /v/ /w/ /x/ /y/ /z/ /qu/ taught. Introduction to the first 10 "tricky" high-frequency words that don't fully follow phonics rules (e.g. the, I, was).

Week 5
Sound Consolidation & Review

Revision of all 42 sounds taught so far. Sound sorting games, phonics songs, and fun oral blending & segmenting activities to strengthen recall.

Week 6
Segmenting & Writing

Spelling CVC words independently. Writing practice with correct pencil grip.

Week 7
Simple Sentence Reading

Reading short sentences. Building confidence with decodable books.

Week 8
Revision & Assessment

Fun review activities, certificate ceremony and parent presentation.

πŸ”Š Phonics Sounds

Sounds We Learn

We teach each letter's sound β€” not just its name! Every sound comes with a fun picture clue, action and rhyme to help it stick.

🟠 Set 1: s a t p i n
🟣 Set 2: m d g o c k
πŸ”΅ Set 3: ck e u r
🟒 Set 4: h b f ff l ll ss
🟑 Set 5: j v w x y z qu
s
/s/
🐍
snake
a
/Γ¦/
🐜
ant
t
/t/
🐒
turtle
p
/p/
🐾
pat
i
/Ιͺ/
πŸ›
insect
n
/n/
πŸͺΊ
nest
m
/m/
πŸŒ™
moon
d
/d/
πŸ₯
drum
g
/Ι‘/
🐸
frog
o
/Ι’/
πŸ™
octopus
c
/k/
🐱
cat
k
/k/
πŸͺ
kite
ck
/k/
πŸ¦†
duck
e
/Ι›/
πŸ₯š
egg
u
/ʌ/
β˜‚οΈ
umbrella
r
/r/
🌈
rainbow
h
/h/
🏠
house
b
/b/
🐝
bee
f
/f/
🐟
fish
l
/l/
🦁
lion
ss
/s/
πŸ˜„
hiss
j
/dΚ’/
πŸƒ
jump
v
/v/
🌺
van
w
/w/
🐳
whale
x
/ks/
🎻
fox
y
/j/
🧢
yak
z
/z/
πŸ¦“
zebra
qu
/kw/
πŸ‘Έ
queen
πŸ’‘
Why Sounds, Not Letter Names?

In phonics, we always teach the sound a letter makes first (e.g. /s/ as in sun), not its alphabet name ("ess"). This is because children use sounds β€” not names β€” when they blend and read words. Learning sounds first gives children the tools to decode any new word they see!

Explore All Levels

Each level builds beautifully on the last – a complete literacy journey.

🌱

Level 1

Starter Β· Ages 3–5

Current
β†’
🌿

Level 2

Explorer Β· Ages 5–7

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β†’
🌳

Level 3

Champion Β· Ages 7–10

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