Phonics Isn’t Just About Sounds, It’s About Confidence

When we think about phonics, it’s easy to focus on sounds, blending, segmenting and helping children get those tricky words to stick. These are all important parts of learning to read, but there is something else happening during every phonics lesson too. Children are also building an idea of whether they believe they can do it, and that confidence can make a huge difference to how willing they are to keep trying.

For some pupils, phonics seems to click quite quickly; they are happy to put their hand up, have a go and move on from mistakes without giving them too much thought. For others, it can feel very different. A child who has stumbled over the same sound several times may begin to hesitate before answering, while another might avoid joining in altogether because they are worried about getting it wrong.

Before long, what started as “I don’t know this sound yet” can begin to feel more like “I’m not good at reading.” That is why confidence matters just as much as knowledge when we are helping children develop strong early reading skills.

Small wins really do matter

Praise and recognition can play an important role in helping children build that confidence. Crucially, this does not have to mean only praising the child who gets the answer right. Some of the most valuable moments to notice are the ones that show effort, resilience and growing independence.

You might choose to celebrate the child who:

• Had another go after making a mistake
• Blended a word independently
• Remembered a sound they found difficult yesterday
• Joined in even though they weren’t completely sure
• Helped a partner without simply giving them the answer

These may seem like small moments, but they send pupils a powerful message that progress counts. When children begin to recognise their own improvement, they are often much more willing to take risks, attempt unfamiliar words and keep going when something feels difficult.

Make success visible

For children who need a little extra reassurance, particularly those who benefit from clear visual support, making progress visible can also be really helpful.

This is not about handing out a prize every time a child says a sound correctly. It is about creating regular moments of recognition that reinforce the behaviours we want to encourage.

To an adult, a sticker might seem like a very small thing. To a child who has spent all week trying to master a tricky sound, however, it can feel like proof that they are getting somewhere. That little moment of recognition can help turn frustration into motivation.

Confidence comes before independence

Ultimately, we want children to become confident, independent readers, but that independence does not appear overnight. It is built through hundreds of small experiences in which pupils feel safe enough to try, make mistakes, learn from them and try again.

So, alongside teaching the sounds, practising blending and developing segmenting skills, it is worth looking out for the moments that deserve to be celebrated. Sometimes the biggest phonics breakthrough is not a perfectly blended word or a completely accurate response.

Sometimes it is the child who finally puts their hand up and says “I think I know this one.” That is a win worth noticing.