After the Alphabet: What to Teach Next? A 6-Week Plan to Reading
Your child has learned the letters from A to Z and sung the song, and now you’re wondering: what next? The answer in one word: sounds. Here is a 6-week plan that takes your child from knowing the letters to reading a sentence on their own, with 40 words for practice.
- Suitable age
- 5 to 8 years
- Suggested time
- 10 to 15 minutes a day for 6 weeks
- What you need
- The free book and the worksheets
- what to teach once your child knows the alphabet.
- why children know the letters but can’t read, and how to fix it.
- a 6-week plan: from letters to reading sentences.
- a list of 40 three-letter words for practice.
Why Do Children Know the Letters but Not Read?
Because every letter has two things: a name and a sound. The name of c is “see”, but its sound is “k”. A child who knows only the names says “see-ay-tee” and never gets to cat. A child who knows the sounds says “k… a… t… cat!” That’s what the foundation after the alphabet is all about.
The 6-Week Plan
| Week | Goal | How |
|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | Letter sounds | Each letter’s sound (not its name), 4 letters a week in the order s a t p i n m d. Each sound with a picture and a word. |
| 3 | Blending sounds | Three-letter words using the letters learned: sat, tap, pin, map. Your child says the sounds slowly, then blends them. |
| 4 | The five vowels | a e i o u and each one’s sound in the middle of a word: cat, pen, pig, dog, sun. |
| 5 | Common words | Words that can’t be sounded out and are learned by sight: the, I, is, a, my, you. Two a day. |
| 6 | Sentences | I see a cat. The dog is big. Your child reads one sentence a day, then writes it. |
10 minutes every day: 3 minutes reviewing sounds, 4 minutes of new words and 3 minutes of reading or writing. The lessons you’ll need: letter sounds, vowels and reading a first word.
How Does a Child Blend Sounds?
- Write cat with the letters spaced apart.
- Your child puts a finger under each letter and says its sound: “k… a… t”.
- They slide their finger quickly under the whole word, saying the sounds joined together: “kat”.
- They say the word at normal speaking speed: .
- They see the picture and are delighted. Repeat with another word.
40 Three-Letter Words for Practice
Ordered by vowel: a, then e, i, o and u. 5 words a day.
Words Learned by Sight
Some words don’t follow the sounds, or come up so often that your child should know them at a glance: the, I, a, is, to, you, my, he, she, we, it, and. Write each word on a card, and stick 3 on the fridge each week.
The First Sentences Your Child Reads
| Sentence | Arabic |
|---|---|
| I see a cat. | أرى قطة. |
| The dog is big. | الكلب كبير. |
| It is a red pen. | إنه قلم أحمر. |
| The sun is hot. | الشمس حارة. |
| I can run. | أستطيع الجري. |
The free book has short dialogues using these same words in every unit, and in the app your child reads the sentence aloud and Sara helps them get it right.
Read one word by sound, s-u-n → sun, and celebrate. Another word tomorrow.
Start every lesson by reading 3 three-letter words on the board, blending the sounds together as a class.
Summary
- Letter names alone don’t read. Next come the letter sounds.
- Then blending sounds: c-a-t → cat. That’s reading.
- Then common words that can’t be sounded out: the, is, I, a.
- Then three-word sentences, then writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
My child knows all the letter names but can’t read a single word. Why?
Because names don’t read. “see-ay-tee” doesn’t make cat, but the sounds “k-a-t” do. Teach your child each letter’s sound, and they’ll be reading in two weeks.
Should I teach uppercase letters before reading?
It isn’t necessary. Reading happens in lowercase. Uppercase comes along gradually, at the start of sentences and in names.
Which words can’t be sounded out?
Short, very common words: the, I, is, a, to, you, my, he, she, we. They’re learned by sight, two a day, and appear in every sentence.
When should writing start?
From week 3: your child writes the word they’ve just read. Writing after reading is much easier, because they hear the sounds and write them.
