How do I teach phonics in pre-primary classes?

By APTTI Educational Content · Updated 2026-10-10 · 2 min read

Teach phonics in pre-primary in a clear sequence: first listening and sound games, then letter-sound links (a few at a time), then blending sounds to read simple words (c-a-t) and segmenting words to spell them. Use multisensory activities, daily short practice and lots of rhymes and stories. The Education Endowment Foundation rates communication and language approaches and early literacy as high-impact in the early years.

What this means in practice

Systematic phonics works best when it is short, daily, fun and backed by rich talk and stories.

The stages

Phase 1: listening, rhythm, rhyme and alliteration (nursery)
Phase 2: first letter sounds and simple blending (LKG)
Phase 3: more sounds, digraphs (sh, ch, th) and reading short words (UKG)

Activities that work

Sound bags with objects
Robot talk: 'c-a-t, cat!'
Sound bingo
Magnetic letters for building words
Decodable picture books

Common phonics mistakes to avoid

Adding an 'uh' to sounds ('suh' instead of 'sss') makes blending harder, so practise pure sounds. Moving too fast leaves many children behind; check that most can hear and say a sound before adding more. Teaching only through worksheets loses the fun; keep it active. And forgetting to read aloud every day weakens vocabulary, which children need to understand what they eventually decode.

Practical next steps

Choose a phonics programme or sequence.
Plan 10 to 15 minutes daily.
Assess sounds every few weeks through games.
Share sounds with parents.

ExampleEvery morning, Tara's UKG class in Accra does five minutes of 'robot talk' and builds three new words with magnetic letters.

What to keep in mind: Do not push reading if a child is not ready; keep the joy and keep talking and reading aloud.

Common follow-up questions

Is phonics suitable for nursery?

Listening and sound games are; formal letter work is better from LKG.

Should I teach phonics in the home language?

Build oral language in the home language too; NCF-FS supports multilingual learning.

Sources

Course facts from APTTI's published course pages, checked 10 October 2026. Editorial policy.