Most parents teaching letters at home do the obvious thing. They pull out an alphabet chart, start at A, and work through to Z. It feels logical. It is how most of us were taught, and it is what most early learning resources assume. But the alphabet song order and the best order for learning to read are two very different things.
What this is and why it matters
Systematic synthetic phonics is the approach to reading instruction with the strongest evidence base. Children are explicitly taught the sounds that letters and letter combinations make, then taught to blend those sounds into words. The word systematic matters here. It means sounds are introduced in a deliberate sequence, chosen so children can start reading real words as early as possible. ABC order was never designed for that job. It is simply the order of a very old song.
What the research shows
The National Reading Panel’s review of 38 studies found that systematic phonics instruction produced significantly better reading outcomes than unsystematic or no phonics instruction, with the strongest effects in the earliest years. A follow-up meta-analysis by Ehri and colleagues confirmed that the benefit held across word reading, spelling and comprehension.
Research on alphabet instruction specifically suggests that the order and pacing of letter introduction matters. Jones and Reutzel found that children learned letters more effectively when instruction prioritised high-utility letters and cycled back for review, rather than marching through one letter a week from A to Z.
There is also an uncomfortable finding behind all of this. Reviews of teacher preparation have repeatedly shown that many teachers were never taught this research during their training. It is not a criticism of teachers. It is a gap in the system they trained under.
The order that works
1. Start with high-utility letter sounds, not A to Z. A common evidence-informed starting set is m, s, f, a, p, t, c, i, n, d. These ten sounds are frequent, useful and easy to blend, and they let children build and read dozens of real words such as mat, sip, tan, pat and dim before they have ever met the rest of the alphabet. Sequences like this also separate letters that look or sound similar, such as b and d, which reduces confusion.
2. Move to digraphs. Digraphs are two letters that make one sound, such as th, sh, ch, ck, ng and qu. Once single sounds are solid, digraphs open up hundreds more words.
3. Introduce the vowel-consonant-e pattern. This is the silent e that changes the vowel sound. Kit becomes kite, hop becomes hope, cut becomes cute. Children love this one because it feels like a code being cracked.
4. Teach blends. Blends are two consonants said quickly together, each keeping its own sound, such as bl, st, cr and tr at the start of words, and patterns like nd, mp and st at the end. Words like lamp, cold and left become readable.
5. Keep building in sequence. From there instruction moves through syllable types, vowel teams, diphthongs, r-influenced vowels, suffixes, prefixes and contractions. Each new pattern builds on mastered ones, and old patterns are constantly reviewed.
What this looks like at home
A parent sits with their four-year-old and a small set of letter cards, just m, a, t and s. They spend five minutes saying each sound, then push the cards together on the table. “Mmm… aaa… t. Mat.” The child slides the letters and reads their first word. The next day they swap one card and read sat, then at, then am. Four sounds, four real words, less than a week in.
A note on readiness
This sequence is for children showing genuine interest and readiness, often somewhere between three and five, and there is no rush. Current guidelines recommend building oral language, rhyme and shared reading long before formal phonics. If a child is persistently struggling to hear or repeat sounds, a hearing check with a GP is a sensible first step.
Closing thought
Learning to read is not a race, and starting with the right sequence is not about pushing children earlier. It is about removing the unnecessary confusion that ABC order creates, so that when a child is ready, the code opens up for them quickly and gently.
References
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read. NICHD.
- Ehri, L. C., Nunes, S. R., Stahl, S. A., & Willows, D. M. (2001). Systematic phonics instruction helps students learn to read: Evidence from the National Reading Panel’s meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 71(3), 393-447.
- Jones, C. D., & Reutzel, D. R. (2012). Enhanced alphabet knowledge instruction: Exploring a change of frequency, focus, and distributed cycles of review. Reading Psychology, 33(5), 448-464.
- Moats, L. C. (2020). Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science: What Expert Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do. American Federation of Teachers.
- Raising Children Network. (2023). Phonics and learning to read. raisingchildren.net.au
