Let's be clear about one thing first: a two-year-old does not need phonics lessons, an app, or a reading scheme. If you're feeling pressure to start early, you can put it down. What toddlers do need is a lot of talking, singing and being read to, and that is the phonics foundation, even though no letters are involved.
What "phonics" means at this age
Phonics proper (matching letters to sounds) usually starts at four or five. What comes before it is called phonological awareness: the ability to hear that words are made of smaller sounds. Children who can hear that cat and hat rhyme, that elephant has three beats, and that sun starts with /s/ find phonics easy when it arrives. Children who can't find it baffling. So the job at two and three is ears, not eyes.
What to do (all of it is play)
- ✓Nursery rhymes, every day. Rhyme is the first sound pattern children notice. The old ones are the best because they're built on it. Sing them badly and often.
- ✓Read aloud, and read the same books again. Repetition is how they learn the words. Let them finish the rhyming lines for you.
- ✓Clap the beats. "Ba-na-na", "El-e-phant", their own name. Syllables are the easiest sound unit to hear.
- ✓Play with first sounds. "Mmm, milk. Mmm, Mummy. Mmm, monkey." Stretch the sound. No letters needed.
- ✓Talk. A lot. Narrate what you're doing, name things, ask questions. Vocabulary at three is the strongest predictor of reading at eight.
- ✓Sound walks. "What can you hear?" Birds, a truck, the kettle. Listening carefully is the whole skill.
What can wait
- Letter names. The alphabet song is fine as a song, but knowing "ay bee see" doesn't help reading and can actually confuse things later (the letter a rarely says "ay" in words). If your child is interested in letters, use the sounds: this is /m/, this is /s/.
- Writing. Scribbling, drawing and playdough build the hand. Tracing letters at two builds frustration.
- Screen-based "learning". Toddlers learn language from people, not from tablets. Skip it for now.
Some three-year-olds start pointing at letters and asking what they say. Wonderful. Tell them the sound (“that's /s/, like the start of snake”), keep it light, and follow their lead. Interest at three is a bonus, not a requirement, and its absence is not a warning sign.
When does phonics start?
In England, Reception (age 4 to 5). In Australia, Kindergarten, Prep or Foundation (age 4½ to 5½). In the US, kindergarten (age 5 to 6). Whatever your system, the year before that is the time to gently introduce letter sounds, and our phonics at 4 guide covers what that looks like.
Bookmark this for later
Phonogram Fun is built for ages 4 to 12, and it would be a bit odd of us to tell you to download it for your two-year-old. What we'd suggest instead: put the app on your phone now, so that when the first spelling list or the "phonics check" letter comes home in a couple of years, it's already there. There's a 7-day free trial whenever you're ready.
Questions parents ask
Should a 2 year old know the alphabet?
No. Some do, most don't, and it makes no difference to how well they read later. What does make a difference at two is being talked to and read to, and hearing lots of rhymes and songs.
Should a 3 year old know letter sounds?
Not necessarily. If they're interested, teach the sounds (not the names) a few at a time, playfully. If they're not interested, keep singing, rhyming and reading aloud; that's the real preparation.
Is it bad to teach letter names before sounds?
It isn't harmful, but sounds are what reading actually uses, and children who only know names can get stuck trying to read "ay bee see" into words. If you're going to teach either, lead with the sound.
Are phonics apps good for toddlers?
We make a phonics app, and our honest answer is no, not at two or three. Toddlers learn language from people. Save the apps for when there's a spelling list or a phonics check to practise for.
