School years › Reading at home
The 10-minute reading routine for beginning readers
Ten minutes a day of the right practice helps a beginning reader more than an hour once a week. The routine: one minute of sounds, two of words, one of tricky words, five reading a decodable book, and one to talk about it. Use the sounds your child's class has already taught.
Checked October 29, 2026 against the sources listed at the end.
The routine, minute by minute
| Minutes | What you do | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warm up the sounds | Point to letters or letter pairs the class has learned (m, s, a, sh, ee) and your child says the sound, not the letter name. |
| 2 | Read words | Five to eight short words with this week's pattern. Your child says each sound, then blends them: /s/ /a/ /t/, sat. |
| 1 | Tricky words | Three or four words that don't follow the rules yet (the, said, was). Read them, spell them, read them again. |
| 5 | Read a decodable book or passage | Your child reads aloud; you listen and help only when needed. Then read it once more, a little smoother. |
| 1 | Talk and finish | One question about what happened, and one specific bit of praise: "you sounded out shop all by yourself". |
Stop at ten minutes, even when it's going well. Ending on a success makes tomorrow easier to start.
What a decodable book is, and why it matters
A decodable book is written almost entirely in words your child can sound out with the letter-sound patterns they have been taught, plus a few tricky words they have practiced. "Sam sat on a mat" is decodable for a child who knows s, a, m, t, n and o. A book with "elephant" on page one isn't, yet.
Decodable books let a beginner practice what was taught instead of guessing from pictures. The federal practice guide on foundational reading recommends teaching children to decode words and making sure every child reads connected text every day; a decodable book is connected text a beginner can actually read.
Your child's class may send decodable books home. If not, ask the teacher for some, or use the free ones linked at the end of this page.
When your child gets stuck on a word
- Wait three seconds. Many children work it out if you give them a moment.
- Point to the first letter and say "look at all the letters. What sound does this make?"
- Have them say each sound from left to right, then blend: "say them faster".
- If it still won't come, say the word, then have your child point to it and read the whole sentence again.
Avoid "look at the picture" or "what would make sense?" for a word your child could sound out. Our page on what to do when a child guesses words explains why, and what to say instead.
Making it stick
- Same time each day: after breakfast, after school snack, before bed. A habit beats willpower.
- Sit side by side, with the book flat between you, and let your child hold or point.
- Praise effort and strategy, not just being right: "you went back and fixed that".
- Keep a small chart of books read. Rereading counts; it's how reading gets smooth.
- On busy days do the five minutes of reading and skip the rest.
- Ask your child's teacher which sounds and patterns the class has covered and which tricky words are on this month's list. Practicing the same things at home doubles the practice; practicing different things can muddle a beginner.
Reading aloud still matters
This routine is practice for your child's own reading, which for a while will be simpler than the stories they enjoy. Keep reading aloud to them too, from books above their level, so they hear rich language and keep loving stories. Our read-aloud guide by age has ideas.
Where to find words and books
Our decodable sentences by phonics pattern give practice words and sentences for short vowels, digraphs, magic e, vowel teams and more. The sight word lists have the Dolch words as flash cards. The free decodable stories on Peabody, linked below, are written to the same patterns.
Questions parents ask
My child reads the same book over and over. Is that OK?
Yes. Rereading builds speed and confidence. Mix in a new book now and then, but don't stop the favorites.
What if my child refuses?
Make it shorter, not longer: three minutes with a book they chose. If reading is always a fight, tell the teacher; it may mean the books are too hard, and the teacher can help find the right level.
Should I correct every mistake?
Correct mistakes that change the word, and let small ones go if the sentence still matches the print. Too many interruptions make reading feel like a test.
Practice at your child's level
Peabody, our site for children, has free stories and learning games written at each reading level and math grade, with no sign-up. Start where your child is comfortable, not where the calendar says.
- Start reading on Peabody Peabody asks your child's grade, starts the stories a little under it, and moves the level as books run easy or hard.
- Reading levels and math by grade Where each grade starts, and a page for every level and math path.
- The free library Stories sorted by level, to read on screen.
- Decodable readers Stories built from the sounds a beginning reader has been taught.
Where this comes from
- What Works Clearinghouse practice guide: Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade (Institute of Education Sciences, 2016)
- Put Reading First: the research building blocks for teaching children to read (National Institute for Literacy, hosted by NICHD)
- Common Core reading foundational skills, grade 1 (thecorestandards.org)
Written for parents, to use alongside your child's teacher, not instead of them. General information only, not professional, medical or legal advice. Checked on October 29, 2026. Something wrong or out of date? Write to hello@peabody.kids.