Who this site is for
Parents of beginning readers (roughly ages 5–8) who need calm, clear phonics practice at home.
How to use these pages
Pick one free lesson or parent guide below.
Spend about 10 minutes at the kitchen table—paper and a pencil are enough.
If you want a clearer picture of where your child is stuck, take the free Read Like Rocky assessment.
Start here
The Sound Train: Blending Sounds into Words
Does your child know letter sounds but get stuck putting them together? Putting sounds together is called blending, and it's the bridge between knowing…
Ball or Duck? Telling b and d Apart
Does your child mix up b and d when reading or writing? These two letters are mirror images, so the mix-up is common. In this lesson your child links each…
Say It, Build It, Read It: Making Sight Words Stick
Does your child know a word one day and forget it the next? In this lesson your child hears a word, builds it from its sounds, and reads it back. Linking…
Chunk It! Sounding Out Words with Word Families
Does your child say every sound in a word and then get stuck putting them together? In this lesson your child learns to see a word as two parts: the first…
Why Does My Child Reverse Letters Like b and d? What Helps at Home
Most young children reverse letters like b and d because those letters are mirror images of each other, and a child's brain is still learning that, unlike a…
Why Does My Child Struggle to Sound Out Words? How to Help at Home
Most children struggle to sound out words because some letter sounds are not automatic yet, or because they can say each sound but have not learned how to…
Why Does My Child Forget Sight Words? How to Make Them Stick
Most children forget sight words because they are trying to remember each word as a picture or shape, without linking its letters to the sounds they hear,…
From Dr. Nancy Barker, Ed.D.
These free pages are built by the team behind Read Like Rocky. Dr. Nancy has spent 49 years in education, specializing in deaf and hard-of-hearing teaching. She earned her Ed.D. from Pepperdine University in 2011 and previously mentored teachers as a school leader.
Take the free reading assessment from Read Like Rocky — it takes a few minutes and points you to a clear next step.
Start the free assessment
The activities here are general reading practice for families. They are not a diagnosis or a substitute for advice from a qualified professional. If you have concerns about a learning difference, vision, hearing, speech, attention, or anxiety, please talk with your pediatrician or a school specialist.