How to teach phonics at home without turning it into a battle
A practical routine for teaching phonics at home in ten minutes a day: sound order, blending, decodable reading and what to do when your child gets stuck.
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Straight answers for parents of young English learners
Short, practical guidance from our young-learner specialists — phonics at home, spotting reading gaps, what tutoring costs, and how to prepare for a school interview. No jargon, no upsell.
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Read the guideQuick answers
Common questions from parents, answered in a minute or two.
How much does an English tutor cost for a young child?
Online English tutoring for children is usually priced per lesson, and the two things that move the price most are group size and tutor qualifications. Small-group cohorts cost less per child than 1-on-1 lessons because the tutor's time is shared; 1-on-1 costs more but is fully tailored. At Smart Word Labs you can see exact current prices on the programmes section of the homepage, and the diagnostic call is free.
Full answerWhat is the difference between phonics and whole-word reading?
Phonics teaches children the sounds letters make so they can decode any new word. Whole-word (look-and-say) teaches children to recognise words as complete shapes. Phonics is the approach most English-speaking school systems now teach first, because it gives a child a strategy for words they have never seen before — but a small set of memorised high-frequency words is still useful alongside it.
Full answerDoes online tutoring work for a 5 year old?
Yes, when the lesson is built for that age: short, highly interactive, with the child speaking most of the time rather than watching. What fails at this age is a long, lecture-shaped session. What works is roughly 25-30 minutes of games, turn-taking and repetition, with an adult nearby for the first few sessions.
Full answerShould my child do small-group or 1-on-1 English lessons?
Choose a small group when the goal is speaking confidence, fluency and motivation — peers create real reasons to talk. Choose 1-on-1 when there is a specific gap, a deadline such as an interview, or when your child is too anxious to speak in front of others yet. Many families start 1-on-1 and move into a cohort once confidence is there.
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