Know & Play Phonics is where you are now! Know & Play Phonics is an area of The Know & Play Space website that is absolutely packed with information and videos all about what phonics is, what the phonics phases are & what they contain, what phonics teaching and learning looks like, what should come before phonics and what beyond phonics entails. It is a one-stop place to find out everything you need to know in order to develop your knowledge and understanding about phonics. 'The Know & Play Phonics Method' is a programme that you can follow to teach your child to read, right from those early pre-phonics days, up until they are fluent readers. It also features a training course for yourself that runs alongside the programme. It means you will know WHAT to teach, WHEN to teach it, and HOW to teach it. With the programme you also get FULL access to Know & Play Phonics, access to a monthly mentoring call with myself AND a whole tonne of exclusive resources to support the teaching and learning through the method.

There is no definitive answer to this, as all children are different. However, stereotypically, a more discrete approach to phonics teaching and learning would begin around 2.5 years old in order to develop Phase 1 skills. Phase 2 (introducing letters and sounds) would be more likely to be around 4-5 years old, as research demonstrates how beneficial it is for children to have many hours worth of exposure to pre-phonics development and activities.

Absolutely! Know & Play Phonics will give you the basic information so that you can understand the learning journey through phonics yourself. It will also provide you with resources and activity ideas to support your child at home. If you're looking for even more, guided support, 'The Know & Play Phonics Method' will be best for you as this gives a comprehensive programme to follow, as well as a training course for yourself so you know what to teach, when to teach and how to teach it! Although things like the visuals and rhymes that phonics schemes often use may be different, our programme and resources will complement these and everything will still be incredibly useful in supporting your child's reading development.

As you explore through Know & Play Phonics, you will find definitions and explanations of all terminology in the 'Phonics Phases' content. There is also a whole video and downloadable document about phonics terminology included within 'The Know & Play Phonics Method' programme & course.

No. There is a systematic order in which to teach phonics, and this does not follow the order of the alphabet. All letters should be taught as lowercase first, until children have a really secure understanding of what sound they make. At this point, you could then introduce letter names and capitals. You're best off heading to 'Phase 2' where you'll see the recommended order, or getting access to 'The Know & Play Phonics Method' where we will guide you through the order of teaching & learning step by step.

Head to the 'Phonics Phases' pages on Know & Play Phonics to find a video and a downloadable audio files which both demonstrate how to say each sound. Alternatively, for more guidance and support, get access to 'The Know & Play Phonics Method' which is a phonics teaching and learning programme for your child, and a training course for you combined!

Common Exception Words are often called 'tricky words'. This is because they are not phonetically plausible - you cannot sound them out. They are quite literally 'exceptions to the rules'. Children learn both to read and spell common exception words, throughout the phonics phases, often learning to read them in one phase, and then spell them in the next. You will find Common Exception Word lists to download on each of the Phonics Phase pages on Know & Play Phonics. There are also activities to support the teaching of them and their spellings. To find out WHICH to introduce WHEN and HOW to do this, get access to 'The Know & Play Phonics Method'.