Getting ready for sounds
Before children learn to read individual letters, they need to tune their ears in! Phase 1 is all about listening — environmental sounds, body percussion, rhythm and rhyme and oral blending. These activities lay the essential groundwork so that when letter sounds come along, little ones are truly ready to hear them.
Videos coming soon
✦ In the worksAuntie Ona will be adding Phase 1 listening activity videos — watch this space!
First letter sounds
This is where the magic begins! Phase 2 introduces the first 19 letter sounds, taught in sets so children can start blending simple words almost straight away.
Watch the videos
The full Phase 2 sound video covers every sound in one cosy sit-down. You'll also find single sound videos on Auntie Ona's YouTube channel.
Digraphs & more sounds
Phase 3 builds on Phase 2 by introducing digraphs — two letters that make one sound, like sh, ch and th — alongside vowel digraphs and more complex sounds. By the end of Phase 3, children will know all 44 phonemes in the English language — a huge milestone!
Watch the videos
The full Phase 3 sound video covers every digraph and sound. You'll also find single sound videos on Auntie Ona's YouTube channel.
Blending it all together
Phase 4 isn't about new sounds — it's about using them! Children practise blending longer words with consonant clusters like st, tr and bl and segmenting for spelling. These videos help make that important leap from knowing sounds to actually reading and writing words fluently.
Watch the videos
Watch alongside your child and pause to practise together — blending out loud is the key!
Alternative spellings
Phase 5 is where reading really takes off! Children learn that the same sound can be spelled in different ways — for example, the /ai/ sound can be written as ai, ay or a-e. They also learn to choose the right spelling when writing. These videos help make sense of the wonderful (and sometimes tricky!) patterns in English.
Watch the videos
The full Phase 5 sound video covers all the alternative spellings. You'll also find single sound videos on Auntie Ona's YouTube channel.
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