If your have ever wondered how to teach reading and writing to kids, you're not alone. If you’ve ever stared at a blank worksheet wondering how to help a child read or write, you’re not alone.
Whether you're a parent teaching your child at home or a classroom teacher trying to meet every learner’s needs, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. There’s no shortage of advice out there—but much of it misses the mark.
You don’t need gimmicks.
You don’t need flashcards taped to every wall.
You don’t even need fancy apps.
What you need is a clear, research-backed roadmap—and a child who feels supported along the way.
In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to teach reading and writing to kids using the Science of Reading, proven instructional strategies, and a little bit of daily consistency. I’ll also share how our Orton-Gillingham curriculum makes it easier to do all of this without guessing what comes next.
Why Teaching Reading and Writing Together Works Better
Reading and writing aren’t separate skills—they grow together. When you teach a child to decode words (read), you’re also giving them the tools to encode (spell and write) those words.
By pairing reading and writing instruction, you double the learning: every sound a child reads, they practice writing… and every word they write, they must first sound out. The two reinforce each other, helping children remember patterns, rules, and word structures far more efficiently.
That’s why any effective literacy program should treat reading and writing as a team effort—not as isolated activities.
What the Science of Reading Says About Teaching Kids Literacy
The Science of Reading is a massive body of research on how children learn to read and write. It shows us that literacy isn’t something kids pick up on their own—it’s something that must be taught explicitly.
Here’s what effective reading and writing instruction includes:
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Phonemic awareness – hearing and manipulating the sounds in spoken words
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Phonics – connecting letters to sounds and blending them into words
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Spelling and encoding – applying those sound-letter connections in writing
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Fluency – reading accurately, smoothly, and with expression
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Vocabulary and comprehension – understanding and using words in context
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Syntax and sentence writing – organizing ideas into coherent sentences
If your literacy instruction covers all six of these areas, you’re doing it right.
Step-by-Step: How to Teach Reading and Writing to Kids
Step 1: Start with Phonemic Awareness
Before kids ever see a letter, they need to be able to hear and play with sounds in words. That’s phonemic awareness—the foundation of reading and writing.
Start with listening games. Say a word like “bat” and ask, “What sound comes first?” Then try removing a sound: “What’s ‘cat’ without the /k/?” These activities can happen anytime—on a walk, during bath time, or while riding in the car.
You don’t need worksheets for this. You just need attention and consistent daily practice.
Step 2: Teach Letter-Sound Relationships Systematically
Once kids can hear sounds, it’s time to connect those sounds to letters. Begin with high-frequency consonants and short vowels, introducing one or two at a time.
Teach the sound first, not the letter name. For example, instead of “This is ‘dee,’” say, “This is /d/ like ‘dog.’” Show the letter, say the sound, and model how to write it.
Use tactile materials—write letters in sand, form them with Play-Doh, or trace them with fingers. The more senses involved, the more likely it is to stick.
Step 3: Blend and Segment Words
Blending is how kids learn to read. Segmenting is how they learn to spell.
Start by blending simple three-sound words like “mat” or “pin.” Point to each letter, say the sound, then blend the word. Once that’s mastered, ask the child to write those same words. You say the word, they break it into sounds, and then write each sound.
This dual process reinforces both reading and writing at once. It teaches the brain to see and build the same word in multiple ways.
Step 4: Introduce Decodable Sentences
When kids know a handful of sounds, they’re ready to read short sentences. But not just any sentence will do.
Avoid leveled readers with unpredictable words. Instead, use decodable sentences made up of words your child can already sound out. For example: “Sam had a map.” or “The cat is on the mat.”
Have your child read the sentence, then write it. Or, read the sentence aloud and ask them to write what they heard. These simple routines grow fluency and reinforce sentence structure.
Step 5: Teach High-Frequency Words with Care
Some words—like “the,” “is,” and “was”—can’t be fully decoded at first. These high-frequency words need to be introduced slowly and intentionally.
When you teach them, show your child which parts of the word are regular and which parts are tricky. For example, in “the,” the /th/ is regular, but the silent “e” needs to be memorized.
Rather than flashcards, use these words in reading and writing. Say, “Let’s use ‘the’ in a sentence. Can you write ‘The dog ran’?” That’s where the learning sticks.
Step 6: Practice Daily with a Simple Routine
Consistency beats intensity every time. A short 15–20 minute daily routine is more effective than one long lesson each week.
Here’s a basic routine that works:
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Sound warm-up (phonemic awareness)
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Review 2–3 letter sounds
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Blend or segment 1–2 simple words
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Read a sentence, then write it
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Practice one high-frequency word in a sentence
Stick with the same structure for a few weeks before switching things up. Repetition builds mastery.
Step 7: Move into Paragraph Writing Slowly
Once kids can write sentences with confidence, begin combining ideas into two or three sentences. Use pictures to inspire writing. Ask your child to draw a picture and then write one or two sentences to describe it.
Start with sentence starters like “I see…” or “My dog…” and scaffold the rest.
Don’t rush paragraph writing. Focus on developing confidence with complete thoughts and strong sound-letter connections.
Helpful Tools You Can Use Right Now
You don’t need a big budget to get started. The following materials go a long way:
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A small whiteboard and marker
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Letter tiles or magnetic letters
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Index cards for high-frequency words
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Notebooks for daily writing
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Decodable word lists
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Lined paper and sound boxes
And if you do want a full system that walks you through it all, our Orton-Gillingham Curriculum is built exactly for this: step-by-step instruction, structured review, and guided reading and writing practice for every stage of the journey.
What to Avoid When Teaching Reading and Writing
There are a few common mistakes that set kids back, even when done with good intentions:
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Don’t teach kids to guess based on pictures.
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Don’t focus on memorizing whole words.
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Don’t use books with words they haven’t been taught to decode.
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Don’t move on before a child has mastered the current skill.
These habits might feel productive in the moment, but they build the wrong reading pathways in the brain. Stick with sound-based instruction, and your students will thank you later.
Final Thoughts: Teaching Reading and Writing Starts with Sound—and Grows with Structure
You don’t need to be a trained reading specialist to teach reading and writing well. You just need to follow the science, teach with intention, and stay consistent.
Start with sounds. Teach phonics clearly. Practice blending and spelling every day. Read sentences your child can decode, and help them write sentences they can sound out. Use writing to reinforce reading, and reading to support writing.
This is how real literacy grows.
And when you’re ready for a full curriculum that takes out the guesswork and brings structure to every lesson, you’ll find it all inside our Orton-Gillingham based program.
You’ve got this—and so does your learner.
If you want a reading resource that makes learning fun, fast, and effective, try our decodable book series!