The Challenges of Learning to Read

"I onlee got wun pees of cak." 

Have you seen the Bluey minisode “Letter”? Grandma finds Bandit’s childhood diary, full of adorable misspellings. It’s hilarious—and surprisingly accurate when it comes to how kids learn to read and spell!

Learning to read is one of the most complex skills a child will ever master. It might look effortless once someone becomes fluent, but reading isn’t natural like walking or talking.

Reading Isn’t Instinctive

Reading requires decoding—figuring out how letters (graphemes) match with sounds (phonemes) and blending them to form words.

To become readers, children need to:

• Recognise letters

• Know what sound(s) each letter (or letter combinations) makes

• Blend sounds together to form words

• Understand what the words mean

We have to build that skill through explicit instruction. Thats where synthetic phonics comes in.

What Is Synthetic Phonics?

Synthetic phonics is an evidence-based approach that teaches children how to read and spell by explicitly linking sounds (phonemes) to letters (graphemes). It focuses on decoding words (reading) and encoding them (spelling) by breaking them into sounds and blending or segmenting them. Sounds-Write is an example of a highly structured, systematic phonics programme based on the Science of Reading.

Instead of guessing from pictures or memorising whole words, children learn to decode by sounding out.

For example, to read "steak”, a child would:

1. Identify the sounds: /s/ /t/ /ea/ /k/

2. Blend them together: “steak”

3. Match the sounds to the letters on the page

This method gives all children—including those with learning differences—a clear and reliable pathway to reading success.

To spell “steak”, the process is reversed: the child hears the word, segments it into sounds, and selects letters or letter combinations to represent each sound.

This structured method supports both reading and spelling, and gives all children—including those with learning differences—a clear, logical pathway to literacy.

Why Is Spelling So Hard?

English spelling can be tricky! Kids often spell words exactly how they sound. That’s why "wonderful" becomes “wundrful,” or “one” becomes “wun.” These early spelling attempts show a child is using their phonics skills.

In Bluey’s “Letter” episode, Bandit’s misspelled words are funny, but they reflect real, developmentally appropriate spelling strategies. It’s all part of learning how letters and sounds work together.

Final Thoughts

Learning to read and spell is complex!. That’s why using evidence-based approaches, like synthetic phonics, is so important. These methods help lay strong foundations for reading success by explicitly teaching how sounds and letters work together.

But just as important is the joy of reading itself. Keep it playful, keep it positive, and enjoy those shared moments with your child—whether you’re blending simple words or exploring a favourite story together.

If you're ever unsure about how your child is progressing with reading or language, a speech pathologist can help. Feel free to get in touch.