You have heard both words. Here is the quiet truth. Your child needs both, in the right order.
Sounds first
Phonics gives your child the code. Most words can be sounded out, letter by letter, so they never need memorizing.
This is the root. It grows slowly, then all at once.
A few by heart
A small set of words plays by different rules. Words like said and was cannot be sounded out cleanly.
Learning just these few by heart smooths the road. A few, not hundreds.
Try this tonight
Pick one word from tonight's book. Stretch its sounds together, slowly. Then read the sentence again, all the way through.
Start here.
When you are ready, the free Reading Check shows one clear next step.
Take the Free Reading CheckA gentle note, now and then
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