The Advanced Sounds Guide for Toddlers
How to teach digraphs & blends (the “tricky” sounds) at home ✏️
Start here: Once your little one knows their basic letter sounds (a, b, c...), the next step is teaching “advanced sounds,” where two letters team up to make ONE new sound. This guide shows you exactly how, in simple steps you can do on the couch, no worksheets needed.
👶 First, is my child ready?
Your toddler is ready for advanced sounds if they can:
- Say most single letter sounds (not just names)
- Hear the first sound in a word (“what does ‘ball’ start with?”)
- Enjoy copying sounds and words you say
Not there yet? That’s perfectly okay. Keep playing with single sounds first. There is no rush. 💛
🧠 The golden rule
Teach the sound, not the letters. Say “sh” makes a “shhh” sound (like telling a baby to be quiet), NOT “ess-aitch.” Little ones learn to read through sounds, so sounds come first, always.
✏️ The 3-step method (how I teach each sound)
Show & Sound
Write the letters big on paper. Point and say the sound slowly. “This says shhh.”
Connect to a word
Give one simple word they know. “shhh... shut!” Say it slow, then fast.
Make it stick
Repeat it in real life all day. “Look, the door is SHUT.” Repetition is the magic.
🌟 Advanced sounds to start with
Start with these high-frequency sounds. Teach ONE at a time, over a few days each.
says “shhh”
Words: shut, ship, fish
🗣️ “Shhh, the baby is sleeping!”
says “k”
Words: duck, sock, kick
🗣️ “Quack quack, it’s a duck!”
says “ow” (like a cow!)
Words: cow, now, wow
🗣️ “The cow says moo... ow ow ow!”
says “oy”
Words: join, coin, oil
🗣️ “Let’s join hands!”
says “ch” (like a train!)
Words: chip, chin, much
🗣️ “Choo choo, here comes the train!”
says “th”
Words: this, that, bath
🗣️ “Point to THIS and THAT.”
says “eee”
Words: see, bee, tree
🗣️ “I can see a bee in the tree!”
says “oo”
Words: moon, zoo, boot
🗣️ “The moon is up at the zoo!”
🎮 3 easy games to practice
1. Sound Hunt
Say a sound, find something around you with that sound. “ck... I spy a soCK!”
2. Slow & Fast
Say the word slowly, stretching the sound, then fast. “shhh-ut... shut!”
3. Silly Swap
Change the first sound to make a giggle. “duck... luck... yuck!” Toddlers love this one.
💡 Tips to make it stick
- ✅ Keep it to 2 to 3 minutes. Short and happy beats long and forced.
- ✅ Follow their mood. Learning works best through play, not pressure.
- ✅ Celebrate every try, even the “wrong” ones. Confidence comes first.
- ✅ Repeat the same sound for a few days before moving on.
- ✅ Point out the sounds in books and signs you see together.
To get the step-by-step phonics process I followed, check out the Phonics Ebook.
See the Phonics Ebook →🌟 Before you go...
You don’t need flashcards or a fancy program to raise a confident little reader. You just need you, a piece of paper, and a few joyful minutes a day.
Loved this?
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